Substance abuse: Play depicts real life tragedy to create awareness

Former ambassador Tariq Afridi lost his 19-year-old son to drug abuse

ISLAMABAD: The play “19: A shattered dream”, staged at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Tuesday, was much more than an intriguing title.

The play, which was produced by the Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation (KKAWF), shows how the lives of the parents of the deceased unfold as they try to bear the loss of their young child.

The heart-touching story is based on a real life incident from the lives of former ambassador Tariq Afridi, his wife Cristina von Sperling Afridi, and their 19-year-old son, Karim Afridi. Karim died due to drug abuse last year.

The play opened with a scene of the family and relatives of Shero mourning over his loss, which was followed by a scene where parents reminisced and recalled memories of their son, and consoled each other.

What followed was a drift of acts from the present and the past, showing the life of Shero with his parents and friends and how he got into drugs, which eventually took his life.

A sensitive topic such as drug abuse is rather difficult to stage but some of the scenes were done beautifully, specifically the one where the parents were left questioning themselves, the liberties they allowed and their parenting.

The act spoke volumes about the struggles of today’s parents particularly pertaining to the extent of liberty they should allow to their children, and their constant struggle between ensuring their safety and happiness at the same time.

The cast members were all amateurs and students who performed well. Wali Ahmed played Shero, Irum Rehman performed as Shero’s mother and Dr Farooq Beg, as the father.

The protagonists of the play were quite convincing and made up for the initial lighting and sound glitches.

The entire cast did a decent job even though the play could have done with better direction considering how touching and sensitive the theme was.

“We can no longer afford to shut our eyes and hope and pray that someone else will take care of the problems that surround us. We live in a world of uncertainties with so many questions remaining unanswered, which has allowed fear to creep into our culture, making us fragile and vulnerable,” said Cristina, while welcoming guests and appreciating the determination of those who made the play a reality.

“Our role is not to judge but to accept and to extend our help to those who need it,” she added.

Cristina started the KKAWF in the memory of her son in order to raise awareness against drug abuse among the youth.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2015.