Absent

by Betool Khedairi and Penny Black

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22, 23, 24, 26 January 2026, 7.30 pm

25 January, 6 pm

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1990s Baghdad, Dalal is studying French at university and looking forward to her future. But then bombs start falling and sanctions turn neighbours into informants. All around is the wreckage of war. To survive, her uncle starts an apiary, soothsayer Umm Mazin flourishes, Saad opens a hair salon and introduces her to handsome Adel... but when people start disappearing, Dalal no longer knows who to trust.

 

Absent, adapted as a solo performance from the novel by Betool Khedairi, is a haunting portrait of life under restrictions written with biting Iraqi humour.