When I Saw the Sea von Ali Chahrour #2

When I Saw the Sea is a moving performance about pain, resistance and hope.

Using dance, music and first-hand stories, the performers and activists Rania Jamal, Zena Moussa and Tenei Ahmad provide a stage for the experiences of migrant workers in Lebanon who are subject to the repressive kafala system. Similar to serfdom, the kafala system ties mostly female migrant workers to their employers, creating conditions of extreme exploitation that repeatedly lead to domestic violence and suicide. In times of crisis this injustice is not only exacerbated, but it also becomes more visible: the employees, frequently women who have fled from Cameroon, Ghana or Sudan, are abandoned on the streets – homeless, unpaid and without papers. Despite their precarious legal status, a few survivors have managed to remain and offer resistance. For them, Beirut’s coastline is a refuge: a horizon that symbolises freedom.

The Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour is one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary dance in the Arab region. His works often combine Arabic myths with the social and political realities of his homeland. On a reduced stage, accompanied by the music of Abed Kobeissy and the emotive voice of the singer Lynn Adib, the three performers and Chahrour create a resolute celebration of life that rises above the pain of past struggles.

Language:

Amharic / Arabic / English with German and English surtitles

Tickets:

Tickets can be purchased through the link below.