1- Beginnings
– How was the beginning of the idea?
-How did it go from idea to implementation?
2- The first steps
– What was the first performance you made?
– What are the sources of inspiration that influenced you and you?
The idea initially emerged in 2005 with the political changes in Egypt and the renewed focus on public space as a part of citizens’ rights and citizenship. The question that arose was, “Why don’t we work with the citizens?” Throughout that time, the cultural scene posed the question, “Is there any change?” But the real question was why there was no interaction with people. Are we intellectuals more than the people themselves? We began discovering the street culture and its thinking. Since 2005, we gradually started organizing joint events and workshops with large groups, accumulating experience working with people in the streets. Then came the revolution, which brought significant changes. As a result of our five years of experience in the streets, we saw another aspect after the revolution: the true questions emerged. Each individual wanted to take to the streets as a performer. We began asking, how can artists who know nothing about the street and its working methods present what they know in the street and what it offers them? We wanted to understand more about the artistic process and the performances presented in theaters, in public spaces, so they could become familiar with the artistic process. We started with the idea that culture is a right for citizens. We would go down to the street and ask people if they were interested in cultural work. They often responded dismissively, saying that culture evolves and works on its own. We would tell them that we needed their involvement in organizing and discussing topics. People participated in performances with artists, and through this approach, we discovered that it was evolving. We conducted four versions of street training, around 23 workshops and 23 different performances, working in approximately six areas in Alexandria, including violent and mixed areas with both Muslims and Christians. Through all these experiences, we made some progress and began to discover another question: artistic production in public spaces. We started working on carnival theater and developed what we call the theory of carnival theater, which is a new approach in the street. So, this is the story of how we started in the public space and how we reached this point. Of course, it all happened through street training and everything related to interactive theater, forum theater, street performances, revolutionary clowns, contemporary dance in public spaces, and we even conducted workshops for parkour. We have experienced everything that can be performed in public spaces.
3- Difficulties
– What difficulties did you encounter on the way?
– What are the constraints that you have overcome?
The challenges that we couldn’t overcome are when the authorities started viewing public spaces as their exclusive domain and claimed the right to decide who can access the streets. This coercion has been difficult for us to overcome. When the authorities close off public spaces, there is no escape because we cannot compromise our safety, the safety of the artists we work with, or even the safety of citizens who are targeted by such risks, as the subject matter does not warrant this level of endangerment. The authorities need to be convinced of the importance of citizen participation and their right to engage in cultural work. With time, we hope that the situation will change and there will be a renewed understanding regarding public spaces and their organization. Lack of organization itself is not our problem. However, the main challenge we face along this path is that artists are not adequately trained and prepared for the streets. They have very unconventional ideas. I remember, for example, a female artist who wanted to perform a scene entirely based on contemporary dance. All the artists, members of the street carnival during its first presentation, told her that people wouldn’t understand what she was doing. But I insisted and asked them why they underestimate the streets. People can accept and appreciate the concept, and it turned out to be the best scene in the show because the girl talked about her experience with harassment as a child, and it resonated with the audience, especially women, who showed great empathy towards the artist. So, the first thing is for artists to find trained and prepared people who understand the streets. It has been a challenging journey, but we have managed to overcome it through numerous camps, workshops, engaging with the streets, and evolving from street to neighborhood to a public square. Every performance we present is an improvement over the previous one. Therefore, it is about people’s participation and the belief that there are no experts in art. Art is the right of anyone to practice or engage in cultural work. I relate this to, for example, the right of an individual to pray without necessarily having to graduate from Al-Azhar or become an imam. Practicing religion is not restricted to experts, just like art, which originated alongside religious practices and the dawn of humanity, as a means of self-expression and freedom of expression. These are the difficulties we face, and there have been other challenges related to funding. Funding has been difficult, especially when the political situation changes, as the source of funding changes immediately. It is a weak and unreliable system that can flee from any form of conflict and concerns.
4. Your position in the arena
– Were you able to find a place for you in the cultural map of their country?
– How is that
This question, I believe it’s better to be asked to the people who are trying to enter the main art scene, and of course, you know that in a country like Egypt, the main art scene is very complex, powerful, and challenging. Our goal was not to enter the main scene, nor was it to go to the red carpet at festivals or become headline news. There is an article, written by Youssef, titled “An Artist and a Citizen at the Same Time,” where we explain why we chose to work on the margins, why we are part of the margin, and why we don’t want to be inside the structure or in the spotlight. However, if you mean inside or influencing the cultural landscape, we have had several highly impactful performances, and the people who train with us work in various fields. But it is an impact on the margins, blending with the mainstream, yet no one can fully perceive it. But we are still present, still alive, and able to exercise our resilience despite political circumstances or the pandemic. However, I don’t know, perhaps someone else can answer our position in the cultural landscape, but all I can say is that at a medium level, we have a good presence. We have good partners, strong relationships, and we are capable of working with multiple parties in multiple places, which supports our ability to survive. So, we exist within the margins of society.
5- The future
– Then what?
– Where are you heading?
Regarding the future, of course, both myself and the people I work with have been thinking for the past two or three years about the future in light of the increasingly complex global circumstances. It appears that we won’t be able to engage in direct interaction, and people are resorting to online platforms, social media, which are not truly social or communicative. However, despite this, we are considering how we can integrate and be present. We mentioned earlier that it’s somewhat like the behavior of a whale. A whale is a marine creature that doesn’t breathe underwater but takes long breaths at the surface before diving back into the water for an extended period until it announces itself with its creative outburst to breathe in the air. This is our vision for the future. We want to be like the whales. I am optimistic about the future and believe that we will evolve. Over time, the impact of our work will become evident, and we will be able to make our presence known. There will be generations within the mainstream who work in our way, similar to what exists currently. The distance between us and the center is gradually diminishing, and there are new generations capable of bridging the gap between us and the artistic and cultural scene. They can integrate community arts into the economic aspect of art. With time, this can create a new movement. At that point, we need to ask ourselves whether we will merge with the center or venture into a new margin, and I believe we will do just that.
