A street play, based on the provision which denies citizenship by descent through their mothers, is currently being staged in cities across the East. The play, a form of Forum Theatre, was staged in Biratnagar on Saturday in front of newly-elected local level representatives and government officials, after shows in eight other cities. 

Conceptualised and directed by Subash Subedi and Sahin Prajapati, the play is a dramatisation of a real-life incident that took place in Bhaktapur, in 2013, where a single mother committed suicided after her son was denied citizenship. 

The play starts with a conversation between the mother and son, where the mother assures the son of his father’s return, hiding the fact that the couple had separated years ago. Once the son grows up, and secures marks which would provide him scholarship for further studies, he lets the mother know that the college would require a citizenship certificate to apply for scholarship. But even after following long and winding procedures, the son is denied of it, which eventually leads the mother to kill herself. 

“The event spurred us to draw attention of the recently-elected local level representatives about the discriminatory provision,” said co-director Subedi.  

The play features actors Sumitra Koirala, Subash Subedi, Saurav Dhakal, Abhaya Devkota, Shishir Aryal, Sadin Luintel, and Mitra Nepali. 

The play was presented jointly by the Kathmandu-based theatre group Shailee Theatre and Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD). The show will now make a final appearance in Bhadrapur before closing.