In the summer of 2023, I had the honor of coordinating al-Khalifa Summer Camp alongside the inspiring leader and human being, Dr. Zeina ElZein. The summer camp themes revolved around heritage, food security, climate change, and urban greening. By the end of the two-month program, I had the chance to write a play for the children to perform at the closing event. 

The play’s scenes were inspired by the real story of one of the historical buildings that Megawra - Built Environment Collective conserved, where a dewatering system had been applied to collect groundwater and reuse part of it for the benefit of the surrounding community, whether through urban greening of some surrounding alleys, urban farming on rooftops, or firefighting.

The aim was to let children learn more about one of the monuments in their own neighborhood, transforming complex conservation challenges and solutions into a simple narrative that they could easily digest and share with their families. The play’s main characters were Safiyy al-Din (the building, personified), the tree, the bird, and the children of Al-Khalifa.

One year later, in December 2024, as Megawra completed the conservation of Safiyy al-Din Jawhar’s Dome and the urban greening interventions around it, we prepared for another closing event for the community. This time, the play was transformed into a storytelling activity at the backyard of Safiyy al-Din building, with its scenes illustrated to be even more engaging for the children. Reflecting back, those moments of telling stories, watching kids start to imagine what we were sharing, interact, and even remembering parts of the story a year later, remain some of the most meaningful and memorable experiences I’m grateful for.