Using Ancient Texts to Foster Compassion and Empathy Today

“I have a fear of public speaking, but I challenged myself to be part of the event,” said Aziz, who is proud of her Syrian background and eager to share her experience. “I knew that it was going to be talking about immigrants and refugees. As an immigrant who migrated about 20 years ago to the United States and became part of the UC San Diego campus and San Diego community, the content drew me to say yes to the event.”

Hundreds of community members and virtual attendees from around the world attended “The Suppliants Project” at UC San Diego. As one of the world’s largest binational metropolitan areas, the San Diego-Tijuana region sees over 50 million people cross the border annually. Borders, migration and asylum-seeking are often at the forefront of many San Diegan minds. When attendees saw these themes reflected in an ancient play, many were compelled to speak out and share their stories.

One student spoke about how, like the suppliants, they experienced parental guidance and pressure about the “right” ways to act as an immigrant. Prince, a cast member, explained how the immigrant experience includes a need to “be the best,” just to be considered good enough by others. Cognitive Science major Keshav Tiwari, quoting the poet and author Ocean Vuong, explained that “the cruelest walls are made of glass” for those feeling like they’re always on the outside looking in.

“Being able to share my story with my community and represent who and what I am was the most valuable part of the experience for me,” Aziz said. “I always felt as an immigrant that I had to explain myself and justify, ‘Why do I sound like that? Why do I look like that? Why do I speak like that?’ This gave me an opportunity to be open about who I am, to share my experience and to be vulnerable.”

A cross-campus collaboration

Bringing Theater of War Productions to UC San Diego is part of multiple efforts across campus to plan and host events that connect the humanities to student life beyond academics. Antony Lyon, director of Revelle College’s Humanities Program, explained that while there have been several high-profile poetry readings — Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown, current U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, and Guggenheim fellow Matthew Zapruder — the interactive theatrical performance and conversation was new.

“We’ve been amazed by the cross-campus collaborative partnerships,” Lyon said, explaining that the event itself is very much ingrained in the program’s curriculum, connecting students with texts that can seem the farthest from their temporal, cultural and personal experience of the world. Approximately 1,000 students were assigned “The Suppliants” in HUM 1 this year, he said.

In addition to the Humanities Program and Center for Hellenic Studies, the Feb. 28 event was sponsored by the Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program and the UC San Diego Parents Fund. “The event received support from so many entities on campus because Theater of War weaves art and community together in such a powerful way,” Lyon said.

Cross-campus support came from a number of entities: the Institute of Arts and Humanities and its Classical Studies and Middle East Studies programs, the School of Arts and Humanities and Department of History, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Eleanor Roosevelt College and Making of the Modern World, Latin American Studies Program, the Gerry and Jeannie Ranglas Endowed Chair in Ancient Greek History held by Demetriou, and the Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilizations, held by Mira Balberg. External support came from the Society for Classical Studies.

Aziz said it was wonderful to see the strong diversity across campus supporters.

“I would love to see opportunities in our campus community to share our own stories, to come together and to talk to each other on a personal, human level,” she said. “We all need that.”