Nabil Mutawakkil.. Tired of the road – The face of truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
In early 2008, as I was taking my first steps in preparing my master's thesis on (the impact of intellectual and political transformations on theatre in Sudan)… Professor Shams al-Din Younis, as my research supervisor, asked me to start by listening to a number of pioneers of Sudanese theatre, writers, actors and directors, so that I could draw a road map for the research topic. Perhaps I could find some good additions that would contribute to the breadth of the research topic. topics and add something new. A number of creative icons of theatre, or who contributed to the performance of plays, or who directed works, or who managed production operations, have been named in my honour.
I met with a number of professors, Professor Saad Youssef, Professor Othman Jamal Al-Din, Dr. Adel Harbi Their first advice was that the subject is both difficult and easy… because writing about political theater is one of the most difficult critical writings… unless the researcher is neutral and devoid of political training and has sufficient abilities to aesthetically satisfy individual and collective tastes through analysis, narration, monitoring and tracking of events… in order to provide quality, coherent and scientific critical material that will then serve as a reference for academics and those interested in the field.
I took this advice after that pleasant session in which I found sufficient support to enter the field. This is in addition to my background as a student of philosophy and media, to which I added other studies, which made me adhere strictly to the confrontations that took place. the professors said. My first encounters were provoked by chance rather than by measures. Before… Even though the man was on my list… I met (Nabil Mutawakel) after a workshop in the hall of the Ministry of Culture and Information… He showed me with his usual elegance and his superior ability to speak continuously without interruption… He was then carrying a cup of coffee whose smell filled the place… in addition… A group of papers.. I learned later that they were texts of plays, among which, if I remember correctly, were (Amber of the Mad Women) and (Parliament of Women) by the director Imad al-Din Ibrahim, and others by Qasim Abu Zaid (O Us, O They) and other texts. It seemed that the man was gathering the characteristics of his distinctive experience that… He started it with the giant of Sudanese theater, Al-Fadil Saeed.
The man, as we know, is one of the pioneers of this reformist social school, where he presented with Saeed… the most famous social plays in which he distinguished himself, such as… The Sweet Half – Eating Aish – We Are Like That – Tabashir – Bad Neighbor – Uncle Saber… and others. He told me that he started working. In 1972, he played in various activities for children, after which he met Al-Fadil Saeed to present with him nearly twenty works that are among the most distinguished and immortal works of Sudanese theater. In addition, another credit with Makki Sinada, Imad Al-Din Ibrahim, Majdi Al-Nour, Qasim Abu Zaid, Osama Salem and others has exceeded forty works. Nabil Nabil, in his choices, treats the dramatic text as if he were part of it, as he says: And the characters as if they were a reality that he embodies with a pure love for the character and the profession.
He said: He would not choose his plays unless he saw that they served social problems and contributed to reform, values and the development of the aesthetic taste of the public… and that he was proud and respected all the characters he played and that they remained engraved in his memory.
He also told me about the TV series in which he contributed greatly with Nadia Ahmed Babiker, Somaya Abdel Latif, Jamal Hassan Saeed … and others … His most important works were (Suburban Moons) and (The White Brigade) in his speech at the time on the transformations that theater brings in the intellectual and political field for societies, he confirmed that these were major transformations based on the reforming message of theater. I met the man during that long session interrupted by the theater. sudden entrance of Professor Mustafa Ahmed Al-Khalifa, who called the man to make an appointment that seemed to be with one of the officials. The man respectfully asked for permission and promised that another session would be held, but he quickly suggested that I write. subject titles and he responded to them, and he did so conscientiously.
The interviews are over and my beautiful impression of the handsome man (Nabil Mutawakel) is not over, for whom the theater was one of the reasons why I sat there following a serious back injury during rehearsals of the play “Ambre du fou”. Women. “This injury (to the cartilage) that tormented him a lot and pushed him to end his artistic life after suffering for a long time. At the beginning of his illness, he was surrounded by all his lovers. many colleagues and his family, who stayed with him, exchanging loyalty for loyalty and love for love.
This man was a theatre lover who gives advice and reforms societies. He was against blackmail and was fully aware of the danger of cross-border dramas broadcast by various media. His advice was always that the state should care, society should care and everyone should care. Actors should care about supporting theatre and support drama production that is compatible with the values of our societies and that supports and elevates national unity and makes the nation honorable among the people. The man believed that theatre addresses reality and preserves heritage. , customs and traditions… and noble qualities.
Yesterday we said goodbye to the inimitable playwright (Nabil Moutawakel) after a long fight against the disease that affected his thin body and his determination weakened by the war that took him out of his safety and imposed a painful reality on him and his family. He was relieved of his weakness and exhaustion as he walked away from the stage, his fans and his neighbors. And from his beloved city where he was born: Bahri, the Danakla neighborhood, which debuted in the 1970s. many stars of Sudanese and Arab theater.
Our professor Nabil passed away, with his brilliant story and his white hands that loved good, truth and beauty. He left with all this nobility embedded in his name, surname and biography full of kindness and theater, radio, and television gifts.. where he participated in more than one hundred and twenty works or more, moving from theater, radio and television.. where his serious life shaped his artistic career and left a clear imprint on the path of values. and commitment to the country, society and academics.
May God accept him into the Gardens of Paradise with His great mercy, honor his dwelling, widen his entrance, comfort him with his desire and strengthen the hearts of his family, his household and all the characters in the drama, and those who know His grace. We belong to God and it is to Him that we will return.
May God have mercy on them all. They worked hard to reform society in their own way through theater, and they were glorious.
May you always be well..
July 23, 2024 AD.
