![]() ![]() Eligibility for repatriation was determined by the Adjusted Service Rating Score. Eventually, organisation of the operation was given to the War Shipping Administration (WSA). Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall established committees to address the logistical problem. More than 16 million Americans were in uniform and more than eight million of them were scattered across all theatres of war worldwide. PlanningĪs early as mid-1943, the United States Army had recognised that, once the war was over, bringing the troops home would be a priority. ![]() Refer to Adjusted Service Rating Score and Selective Service System. The European phase of Operation Magic Carpet concluded in February 1946 while the Pacific phase continued until September 1946. Warships, such as aircraft carriers, battleships, hospital ships, and large numbers of assault transports were used. Beginning in October 1945, over 370 navy ships were used for repatriation duties in the Pacific. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships, and troop transports began repatriating soldiers from Europe in June 1945. Operation Magic Carpet will be performed at the Polka Theatre in London through May 24th.Operation Magic Carpet was the post- World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theatres. The audience leaves the theatre with a lesson learned - “You must know where you come from to know where you are going.” The play makes for a great night for the family that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. They even create personal engagement with the audience by sitting next to them and speaking to them in the interval, while in character. The actors create a lively atmosphere through music using the Arabic drum as the mother belly dances. Common Iraqi sayings are used such as “Son of a dog”, which is a common curse, and “Your health”, which is said after someone sneezes. The play is thought-provoking dealing with issues such as longing for identity and the confusion of finding a balance of adapting eastern upbringing to Western lifestyle.įive actors give a great performance that is well-researched. She restores order into the region.Ī well-paced play full of humour and colour, it keeps children glued to their seats. She fights animals and the corrupted Sinbad trying to become the caliph. Nomi uses her final wish to save her mother, realising how much her family means to her.Īs Nomi’s three wishes are used up swimming the Tigris, she worries how to return home. Nomi realises he means it in the literal sense - the actual heart of her mother he cuts from her chest. Sinbad appears as a sly merchant who agrees to help Nomi find her mother’s heart. She travels to Baghdad on a magic carpet and meets characters from the Arabian Nights such as Sinbad the Sailor. Her mother is loving, constantly calling Nomi “Gulbi“, which means “heart” in Arabic.Ī genie appears out of a mango pickle jar offering Nomi three wishes. Her father tells his brother off for telling Nomi this lie and relays how important it is to adapt to British culture. He takes great pride in Iraq, claiming that Shakespeare is Iraqi calling him “Sheikh of Zubair”. He mocks fish fingers and wonders why they are called fish fingers when fish don’t have fingers and reasserts the importance of knowing your identity. Her blind uncle, on the other hand, seems to struggle to adapt to London. ![]() Her father tells her how lucky she is to live in London where it is safe and full of opportunities. She wishes to eat watermelons and sleep on a roof under the stars. One night, Nomi and her family are eating dinner discussing life in Iraq. ![]() She creates an imaginary world of magical flying carpets and shooting stars, a fantasy that comes to life on stage for children to see. A young girl living a “boring” life in London wonders about Iraq, the country her parents come from. LONDON - In Operation Magic Carpet, a new play written by Samantha Ellis and currently shown at the Polka Theatre in London, Nomi seeks to find the heart her mother left in Baghdad. ![]()
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