Mending Nets

Commissioned back in 2024 for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival Janis Mackay and Nada Shawa devised Mending Nets with the goal of building ‘a bridge of friendship’ between Scottish and Palestinian traditions through ‘an evocative fusion of dance, poetry and storytelling’.

Mackay’s storytelling was fun and engaging; especially her retelling of an old Palestinian folk tale The Fishes Mouth which she credits Sally Shalabi for sharing with her a few years ago, while Shawa’s poetry was powerful and heartfelt as she expresses how the ‘raw and savage genocide has pierced [her]’. Alongside storytelling and poetry are moments of movement, one of which is the sharing of cultural dance traditions with Shawa teaching Mackay some Dubke moves and Mackay showing Shawa something of the Ceilidh. Having first met on a dance floor, Nada and Janis’ personal friendship shines through in their performance as they highlight the cultural similarities between Scotland and Palestine, emphasising the simple fact that we as a people are not that different from one another.

Shawa’s poems Bridge of Flowers, Indigenous Soul and The Wave are each heart wrenching in their own ways and naturally deeply personal to Nada as she shares her experience as an exiled Palestinian, finding her inability to ‘protect’ both her people and even us here from the ‘trauma of their slaughter’ ‘unbearable’. She reminds us that ‘our killing should not be our only story’ and that we must remember and honour the Palestinian people through their culture and refuse to let them be erased from the narrative of the world despite the best efforts of those who would see them disappear. Nada does not shy away from the truth of history when addresses Israel; ‘you rejected my generous gift to you to share this land which you fiercely took from my ancestors. Now blatantly, in front of the world, you wish to eliminate me. What have I done to you?’. It is important to remember that Palestine was home to Muslims, Jews and Christians before the UN called for the land to be separated into two religious states in 1948, with the Israelis extending beyond the borders of the land they had been given (20% of Palestine’s territory) and forcing Palestinians out over the next several decades.

The Fishes Mouth is the central story of the piece where the show derived its name. Mackay takes us through the story of Omar and Noah and how one person’s act of kindness can have a ripple effect changing many lives for the better. The story is the longest single narrative in the whole piece and has been broken up by four short solo dance segments from Shawa. The show itself concludes with a ‘Friendship Duet’ danced to Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis’ rendition of Auld Lang Syne reemphasising the Mending Nets’ core belief that sharing and supporting each other is the foundation on which we can build bridges of friendship and help each other maintain a sense of identity even when government regimes are trying their hardest to erase people’s sense of self.

Overall there could be more confidence in the dancing as movements were often stilted and fluidity is needed for the dance style chosen. The dances showcased in the second half (what I am considering after the poem Indigenous Soul is recited) by Nada Shawa were certainly stronger then the ones in the first in large part because her movements here more effectively incorporated the need to wheel her chair rather than having a move or pose be suddenly broken to turn the chair only to immediately return to the same pose. Scenographically the table at the back could be removed as it is never interacted with and adds an obstacle for the dancers to avoid, there were one or two moments where I was concerned it was going to be knocked into turning it into an unnecessary distraction the removal of which would give the centre a larger clear area for dancing. The incorporation of tartan and tatreez fabrics on otherwise pure white outfits draws the eye and is yet another subtle nod towards the sharing of cultures and their familiarity just as the red & black shemagh keffiyeh scarf and red shawl hanging at the back of the stage does. The projection of the ‘Auld Lang Syne’ panel of the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry (Dr Andrew Crummy) is a nice touch but would benefit from being brighter and clearer and ideally Shawa and Mackay wearing white dance pumps or going barefoot would be, once again, less distracting then trainers.

Mending Nets is authentic and heartfelt in its sincerity and has great potential but it would certainly benefit from a dramaturg being brought on board to shift it from what to currently comes across as more of a showcase then a finished piece.

Attended 13 August 2025
Edinburgh FRINGE: Venue 30
Scottish Storytelling Centre

"From exile I send a gentle Scottish wave to flow over you, Palestine, to give you the strength to continue to resist and survive"

Janis Mackay:
Janis MacKay Award Winning Author
Facebook

Buy Indigenous Soul: Gaza and Me:
Inkpot and Silverleaf Booksellers
Main Point Books

Further Reading:
Scottish-Palestinian poet Nada Shawa on importance of speaking out | The National
New poetry collection is an antidote to despair for Gaza | The National
No Embittered Soul – Scottish Left Review
Arab Jews: the Hidden History | Ash Sarkar Meets Avi Shlaim | Novara Media
On Gaza and Humanity with Mosab Abu Toha | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

Performers:
Janis Mackay
Nada Shawa

Costume design:
Regina Latonda Crespo

Tech:
Maria Macdonald