January 1948, Palestine. The British Mandate is ending; The UN is voting on who will control what part of the land. Ali is in love with Nada - but is in despair. Nada's father won't let the couple marry as Ali's brother Yusuf, is viewed as the village idiot or a "simpleton", which he believes could have genetic implications if Ali and Nada have children, thus tarnishing the family name. Meanwhile, Rufus, a British soldier longs for the cold fogs of Sheffield and home. War begins and, as the villagers are scattered and become refugees, the real secret that's kept Ali and Nada apart is revealed.

Although set within a politically charged context, the play, written by a young Palestinian playwright (Amir Nizar Zuabi) deals with the human element and is at all times culturally and politically sensitive.The place is Baissamoon, a tiny-Palestinian community, and the time is 1948. The departure point of that catastrophic year is the tumultuous backdrop against which the domestic story of two brothers plays out. A doomed love, a war: dislocations and tragedies both personal and political.

Zuabi set out to write a Palestinian story about Palestinians; the play is full of haunting, dreamlike poetry rather than didactic polemicism. Instead of simply exploring the political debate, Zuabi concentrates on the richness of language and culture. With a keen awareness of the vulnerability and fragile ephemerality of life, I am Yusuf and This Is My Brother explores humanity and love in the context of loss and death. It sets out to excavate the big questions he observed silently hanging over his community throughout his childhood: "Why did people make the decision to leave? Or did they make the decision to leave? What would you have done?” Zuabi sees the answer to that question as "the big taboo… the primal sin, the mother of all problems here. They don't like talking about it." (in conversation with The Guardian, January 2010)

Danú Dubai, fresh off their sell out October run are returning for two shows only at The Junction in association with PCRF. With an Arab cast including Palestinian actors from Gaza and the West Bank in the leading roles, as well as Emirati actors; the play is the group’s first foray into a rich new vein of theatre emerging from the region, contending with the politics and narratives of displaced people and unsettled histories.

‘With great skill, Zuabi’s beautiful production reminds us that we are still living today with the fatal consequences of history.’ The Guardian

‘Zuabi’s superb piece keeps taking lyrical flight.’ The Independent on I Am Yusuf And This Is My Brother

Event Language – English 

Age Limit – 12+