the radical act of love in times of war & conflict

Fourteen of us answered the call to attend the Radical Love: Clowning in Conflict workshop with Police Officer Az-oolay. Each pulled by different heart strings to;
★ explore love as a way to harmonise from conflict
★ learn about the liminal space of the clown in real situations of power and conflict
★ focus on heartfelt sensations and empathy
★ research clowning as a way to disarm and disrupt the norm and shake people out of binaries
★ radically transform the impacts of trauma from state violence and oppression
★ collectively heal and support our nervous systems in challenging and difficult times
★ and acknowledge what is happening in Palestine at the moment and the power dynamic that is playing out globally across the world.

I had been inspired by a news item of Police Officer Az-oolay’s work from 2021. Here was a lone clown, working on the streets of Jerusalem, meeting state oppression, violence, divided politics and nationalistic views, all with love. It was her bravery and the trajectory of her work; always towards the action, into the danger or propelled to those in need. Police Officer Az-oolay seemed to put herself directly into the conflict spaces with such bravery that I was genuinely moved.

There is a playful inversion of the police officer; a wrinkled uniform, wrong-footed, over-sized shoes, garland hat and red nose. Her gentle parody of the power stances of the police is always with a lightness that often earns her a place on their side of the line. But also violence and jail time. There is already so much incredible documentation of her work I have listed some links below.

After bringing her onto the Activist Clown Toolkit as a guest facilitator I extended an invitation, if she ever found herself in the UK I would love to host a workshop with her. The opportunity arrived this May.

So we gathered, 14 curious humans to meet Police Officer Az-oolay, hear about her story and experience her work. The artist, Idit presents the workshop in her clown persona. Something she has always done to keep her anonymity and safety in Israel. We begin with a presentation including photos, videos and stories of the evolution of the character, now a staple in the demonstrations, protests and streets of Jerusalem and beyond. She also shares the work she has been doing since the 7 October, including pilgrimages to the borders of Gaza. Next we jump up and get moving to experience her embodied practice. They are simple and familiar exercises but with a beautiful spin related to the needs of her work.

After lunch we dived into the streets of Stokes Croft, meeting the eclectic neighbourhood in the ways of Officer Az-oolay, handing out heart stickers to those who wanted it. Experiencing the work of understanding what a person or a space needs. Interacting with those who wish to play and not taking it personally if a person doesn’t want to connect to our invitations. Rejection can feel painful but the practice is to accept it as completely as being fully received. We were there to serve the space.

I was so inspired by the simplicity of the exercises, and how quickly that took us gently to the streets. We had some beautiful connections with people in art galleries, some looking down at us from apartments, others driving by in cars or walking up to us to take photos and receive stickers. And we connected as a beautiful gaggle of clowns. Officer Az-oolay was so touched by the chance to work and play with others as she generally works alone.

I was surprised at how much I learned in such a short time. Here are a few reflections from the session:

• I noticed that I feel resistance, bordering on annoyance at the idea of the clown bringing unconditional love. It feels too simple and naive in the face of the injustice of oppression and violence. And therein I meet the complexity and depth of her work. Officer Az-oolay has a powerful practice, separating the ego from the service she is there to do to connect all beating hearts, even if she doesn’t agree with their views. It is radical in its simplicity, to hold all polarities with no judgement.
• Creating a container around the work is vital. From the ritual of getting into costume and make up then creating a magic ring. The intention is create a space free of judgement for herself and others. If judgements arise she invites them to wait outside. This metaphorical ring is created through a physical action, miming the lifting of a ring and stepping inside. After the shift/work the ring is lifted up and thrown into the air with the intention to send it to hearts and spaces that need protection.
• Officer Az-oolay says each outing is a shift. She has completed 364 shifts since 2020. Just about a year of service. She types up a Report of Love after every shift, framing it around what she has learned about love. There is beauty in that framing allowing her to focus on ‘love’ and positivity. Like a gratitude practice, opening her eyes and drawing her attention to more instances of love and hope in the world.
• She also introduced us to the idea of working with the vertical space. A lot of human interaction happens on the horizontal plain; the space between people. She demonstrated receiving anger and rage from close proximity, face to face with another. Working with the vertical, she showed us how to resource ourselves from expansiveness of the space above us.

It was such a moving and inspiring workshop, leaving us all with a desire to meet and play again soon. In what we hope will be more peaceful times.

Photos by Peta Lily, Hilary Ramsden and Robyn Hambrook

Follow Officer Az-Oolay on social Media: Instagram: @shoteretazoolay 
Facebook page : ישר-אל הלב مباشرة إلى القلب Straight to The Heart | Facebook
Facebook Profile: Az-Oolay

Attached is the link a TV article made on Police Straight to the Heart: 
 https://youtu.be/2KhlEN9tlbY
and some articles about Police Straight to the Heart that are published in English :
KIOSK Magazine
Send in the clown
The National News