CAIRO – A group of ordinary young Egyptians, who love their country to point of martyrdom and who participated in the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak, recently put on a show entitled Lessons in Revolting in the Rawabet Theatre, downtown Cairo. In their performance, they tried to rewrite their recent history through images, movements, testimonies and sounds. The purpose was not only to document or reminisce, but also to share and reflect on a work of contemporary and political art with the audience. Co-directors Laila Soleiman from Egypt and Ruud Gielens of Belgium brought together a team of versatile Egyptian artists and activists to put on a play that not only talks about what started in Tahrir Square late last January, but also reacts to what is happening now in Cairo, because this revolution is far from over. Being real-life activists at the same time, the actors were sincere in their message which has been totally ignored by the current media. They succeeded in breaking down the barriers between themselves and the audience, allowing the latter to sense and feel their eagerness for change, their exhaustion, their anger, their impatience and much else. Through the 75-minute-show the artists reviewed their journey with the revolution from January 24, the day before it actually started, until today, using video clips of them protesting in Tahrir Square, which include the violence perpetrated by Central Security and police officers. The music and songs in the play were inspired by old revolutionary songs by prominent composers and writers such as Sheikh Emam and Ahmed Fouad Negm. The performance also included the testimonies of these people, such as Ali Sobhi, a 28-year-old actor, who described being arrested and taken off to military prison for no good reason. On March 9, Sobhi and many other young people were arrested by the Military Police; they were treated as criminals and thugs, although they aren't. Sobhi's story has also been published on many websites. A few months ago, the Press Syndicate hosted him and let him tell journalists what happened to him and the other guys and girls. “I was taken inside the Egyptian Museum and tortured and insulted with the most harmful implements and in the most harmful ways. All I did was stop by to see what was going on near the Museum,” he told the Egyptian Mail. He and the others were taken by soldiers to military prison, where the torture continued. But under great pressure from their supporters on the outside, the Army let them go. “A lot of things inside me have changed due to the torture and the insults in military prison. The psychological effects are worse than the physical ones,” Sobhi added sadly. “When I got home, I didn't venture out into the streets for three months, until July 7, when I demonstrated with hundreds of thousands of other Egyptians on the famous ‘Revolution First' Friday. “Since then, I have sworn never to keep silent. I will always express my opinions freely and openly in my performances; nothing worse can happen to me,” he stressed determinedly. Lessons in Revolution imparts a very important message: despite the darkness and the fact that the way forwards is unclear and uncertain, we must keep on going. Lessons in Revolting stars Aida el-Kashef, Ali Khamees, Ali Sobhi, Karima Mansour, Maryam, Omar Moustafa, Ruud Gielens and Salma Said. The technical director is Saber Elsayed. Karima Mansour is responsible for the choreography and the music is by Maurice Louca and Moustafa Said. Having run in Cairo, the show has now travelled to Zurich. From there, it will make its way to Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf.
