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THE LANGUAGE OF THE PILGRIMS

A DRAMA IN TWO ACTS

DAVID LAWRENCE CADE

Characters:

HASSAN - Hassan Qasim Harbi, an Iraqi artist freelancing as a news cameraman

MOHAMMED – Mohammed Samad al-Mutalibi, an Iraqi journalist employed by an Arabic TV network

PASHA – Pasha Hazim Baqir, managing editor of the Baghdad bureau of the same Arab TV news network

HANAN - Hanan Khadijah Hadi, a young Iraqi journalist working for the TV network

KHALIL – Khalil Omar al-Juburi, an elderly Iraqi of the Sunni faith

AMINAH – Aminah Inas al-Safey, an Iraqi/American with the peace movement

COLLEEN – Colleen Blair, an American peace activist

NOOR – Noor Ghada al-Azzawi, Khalil’s daughter

ALI – Ali Shibab al-Azzawi, Noor’s five year old son

KARL – Karl Anderson, an American army captain

SIMON – an American army corporal

JOHANSSEN – an American with the CPA

SYNOPSIS – Act One

Early on the morning of Tuesday, March 2, 2004, in front of the Freedom Monument in Liberation Square, Baghdad. Hassan and Mohammed, employed by an Arabic satellite TV news network, have given up driving in heavy traffic and walked to the monument. While they talk about the pilgrimage of Ashura and intellectual life since the war, they notice Hanan, a young journalist, talking with an elderly man – Khalil - at the Square. Pasha, the managing director of the Baghdad bureau of the network, joins them after despairing of the stalled cars.

Khalil, an Iraqi of the Sunni faith, had lived in exile in Iran for thirty years, returning in October of 2003. He once promised his grandfather, a famous writer, to visit the Kadimiyah Shrine, to help bring peace between the Sunni and Shiia. After putting off the event for seventy-five years, he plans to go to the tomb of the two imams that day with his daughter Noor and grandson Ali.

Colleen and Aminah, two peace activists from Chicago, also happen to be at the Square.

Pasha learns over his cell phone of the bombings in Karbala. About this time, Karl and Simon with the U.S. army arrive to keep order.

Khalil talks about the sculptor Jewad Salim who created most of the monument before his untimely death and how the fourteen figures remind him of the pilgrims, their motion, the language of the processions.

When the bombings from the Kadimiyah district are heard in the distance, the crowd of pilgrims and onlookers become agitated. Karl demands that Hassan, also a cameraman, stop filming. When he refuses, despite intervention from Johannsen of the CPA, Karl orders Simon to arrest Hassan and Mohammed.

Khalil has promised to give Hanan an interview about his exile and return. All plan to meet at the Baghdad bureau of the network late that afternoon.

ACT TWO

The bureau is rather deserted around four p.m. with reporters covering the stories of the suicide bombings or trying to get Hassan and Mohammed released. Hanan tells Pasha, in his office, that Khalil and his family have arrived. They go to a studio for the interview.

Colleen and Aminah have also arrived to talk with Pasha about the plight of Iraqi women who have been threatened by radical Muslims about their role in the new society. Pasha mentions that he has met one female journalist who has been threatened and that his network does not discriminate against any group. Afterall, he has hired Hanan.

The good news that Hassan and Mohammed have been released is dampened when Hassan describes how he has been physically abused during interrogation by the Americans.

Then Karl and Simon along with ten other soldiers arrive to search the bureau. Karl has a search warrant and is set on taking Pasha’s desk computer and disks. When Hassan refuses to stop filming, Simon threatens to shoot him in front of everyone in Pasha’s office.

Khalil, who has finished giving the interview and overheard the commotion, comes in, senses that Hassan is in danger, and steps between him and the corporal’s rifle. The dilemma is resolved quickly as Hassan gives his camera to Karl and Simon lowers his weapon.

Pasha trades taunts with Karl as he and Simon leave. The strain has apparently caused Khalil, aged eighty-one, to suffer a heart attack. He begins to fade, asking Hassan and Pasha, who have been inside the shrine, to describe it in detail. He is passing away. He refuses Noor’s offer to go to the hospital, which is crowded with victims of the bombings. He dies biding "peace unto them both" to the two imams.

SYNOPSIS – THE LANGUAGE OF THE PILGRIMS

By David Lawrence Cade

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