Presented by Virtual School Australia and performed by their Afghan students, artists in exile, Battlefield Butterflies is an animated digital play about friendship, compassion, and resilience.
Each actor is performing in English, a second language for them, and they have created this project while not being allowed to work in their country of exile. Within their number, there is a scientist, a doctor, and other professions.
The evening started with a 20 minute introduction in which we heard from each actor in the play, giving a bit about their own stories and what they remember or miss most about the countries they have left behind.
The play is dedicated to the memory of Dr Moumita Debnath, who was raped and murdered while on medical duty on 9 Aug 2024 in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, India.
In the introduction to this female-led production, we hear of countries where girls are denied an education or where just being born a girl is seen as a crime.
Afghan women and girls have been treated as second-class citizens since the Tailban took power, barred from school or the workplace. They are also barred from receiving healthcare, going out without a male chaparone, or speaking in public.
Against this backdrop, the digital play Battlefield Butterflies is a call of defiance against oppression. Nine women and one man make up the cast, whiile the play is written and directed by Paramita Roy.
It is set on a bus, which is taking a group of women from Kabul across dangerous roads and military checkpoints.
Young Parveen, just six years old, misses her doll’s house and has autism. During the journey she is joined by a butterfly, a ‘parmana’ who becomes her friend and protector.
By the end of the 38 minute play the parmana has literally saved her life and proves that even the smallest can offer friendship and assistance when times are hard.
The animation is largely made up of static drawings, with some mouth movement. The voices and the animation of characters is not always consistent, but that doesn’t matter.
The story and the words and the process by which this show was created, and the reason it was created, makes it a remarkable achievement in itself.
Although this was a scheduled livestream, the play was not performed live, but instead, after the artist introductions, we watched a recording.
This worked well without any glitches or technological issues – important as one actor experienced a power cut and was without internet access for a significant part of the Zoom call.
What I did wonder is what brought this group together and how they came to perform in this play. More context may have been useful in understanding how Battlefield Butterflies developed over ‘many weeks of work’.
The play itself is funny about ordinary situations but also acknowledges the perils each Afghan woman faces daily just by being outside and vocal.
The performers, all using pseudonyms and not seen even during the live Zoom, have clearly worked hard on this show and view it as an essential piece of awareness of the plight of Afghan women.
Battlefield Butterflies was a scheduled stream for Edinburgh Fringe.
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