Sometimes, words in their rawest, most sincere forms make the most influential kinds of art. A performance by Syrian Linda Jamous is a case in point.
Over the weekend, a video of Jamous giving a powerful monologue about the situation in Syria and the Arab world made rounds on the interwebs. It was part of her audition for the second season of Arab Casting, an Abu Dhabi TV talent show scouting for the Arab world's top performing artists.
Jamous' performance showcased her unwavering willpower and remarkable mindset. Starting off with "speaking of war and death...", Jamous recalls the three times she had attempted to present that same spoken word poem while auditioning for an institute for performing arts in Syria. The first time, she was shot by a sniper. "
"A bullet under the heart caused me to change, just a little bit. [...] But never mind that, my determination to present this monologue didn't waver."
In the following year's auditions, a missile exploded nearby, leaving four shrapnel marks on Jamous' body.
Still, she was at peace with her misfortune, knowing that she is suffering just like everyone else in the war-torn country.
"Maybe I'm even better off, at least I'm still alive and I can still give the same monologue."
The third trial went smoothly, but Jamous failed the audition. "Should I be upset because I failed or happy because I didn't get shot?", she asks.
Jamous' performance was a goosebumps-inducing tear-jerker that broke our hearts, and won them over. "What does 100 million deaths mean? When war is waged, they hardly realize what dead means," she said. "A dead man has no weight until he's seen dead."
Regardless of it all, Jamous set off to present the spoken word poem at Arab Casting.
She said: "I'm not afraid of failing because I've already failed. I'm not afraid of being shot because, honestly, the eleven war scars on my body are nothing compared to the millions of scars found in every Arab household."
With emotions already running high, Jamous went ahead and gave the monologue, which left the judges in awe.
طافت أرقام في ذاكرته وقال لنفسه في الثلاثين مرة التي إنتشر فيها وباء الطاعون بشكل كبير في التاريخ، حصد ما يقارب المائة مليون ميّت ولكن ما معنى مائة مليون ميّت؟ عندما تُشَن حرباً بالكاد يدركون معنى ميّت، وبما ان الرجل الميّت ليس له وزناً الا عندما يُرى ميتاً، فإن المائة مليون جثة المزروعة في التاريخ ليست سوى الدخان في المخيلة.
"Numbers roamed his memory and he told himself: The thirty times that plague spread at a large scale throughout history rendered some 100 million dead persons.
But, what does 100 million deaths mean?
When war is waged, they hardly realize what dead means. And since a dead man has no weight until he's seen dead, the 100 million bodies planted in history are nothing but smoke in the imagination."
To no one's surprise, Jamous qualified to the next stage with the approval of all four judges- Egyptian actress Ghada Abdelrazek, Kuwaiti actor Tariq Al-Ali and Syrian actors Kosai Khauli and Bassel Khayyat.
Aired on Abu Dhabi TV every Thursday night at 10pm UAE time, Arab Casting has just kicked off its second season. The show is considered the first of its kind in the Arab world, seeking to crown the top Arab actor and actress.
The first season in 2015 saw Moroccan Jihane Khalil and Algerian Zoubir Belhor win the titles.