Clowns in the time of revolution

In the last post I published before going to Egypt, I expressed my excitement of playing with the post-revolution clowns and see how they will look like…

Little had I known that I will be playing with clowns in the time of revolution!!!!

I got to Cairo on a Friday… and the Tahrir demonstration broke out…I thought “oh ok, this is all gonna end tomorrow”. But it didn’t…

I’ve been trying to put this intense experience in words … but in vain, so I thought of “storybuilding” the experience through my facebook and twitter updates

20 Nov

at 11:14 (fb)

starting a Clown Me In workshop with Al Warsha theatre group today …in Cairo….and Tahrir square is still burning!!!!!

at 17:55 (t)

disastrous situation at Tahrir square!!!!…

at 22:00 (fb)

Egypt is so quite and empty. no sounds, no cars… Nobody’s walking on the streets… we only hear the echo of the Tahrir’s demonstration…

21 Nov

at 00:44 (fb)

Revolution from dreamzzzzzzzzzzzz

11:22 (fb)

last night’s clown workshop got obviously cancelled! Cairo is revolting and demonstrating again! follow the second by second news on #tahrir – twitter

22 Nov

at 12:41 (fb)

We had an interesting revolutionary Clown Me In workshop last night in Cairo… 10min away from Tahrir square

at 17:14 (t)

One more hour and the #Tahrir will be even more packed. Ppl are arriving after work!

at 17:20 (fb)

Are we gonna clown Tonight at the official space of the workshop or at tahrir square? Question to be answered in an hour

at 17:22 (t)

@johannesmosskin keep us updated! Will know if the clowns are joining u in a hour or not! Will let u know

at 19:29 (fb)

The clown workshop looks like that till now!!! In a while it’s gonna be more crowded Hahah viva la revolution

at 17:21 (t)

@fletchergull thinking if we will be clowning at the workshop space or at tahrir square? Answer in an hour!

23 Nov

at 11:14 (t)

clowns in the time of revolution!!!! #ylvp… how r u ppl?

at 01:04 (fb)

We clowned the revolution today at tahrir square and used the anti tear gas thing I stad of the red noses

at 01:09 (fb)

Dalia’s clown nose at tahrir

at 18:22 (fb)

The Egyptian participants go to tahrir everyday and get suffocated from the tear gas then come to the clown workshop and work like crazy!!!

24 Nov

at 02:09 (fb)

Latest chant in tahrir that I find amazing

الشعب يريد الغاز القديم

What is not mentioned in the previous statuses … is the fact of loosing each day at least 4 participants… who they would either be sick in bed because of the tear gas or demonstrating at tahrir.

For that reason and for many other reasons, Hassan el gritly ( the director of Al Warsha theatre group) and I, debated a lot about whether we should cancel the workshop or not… despite everything, there was always this need to keep a bit of a normal life in the midst of revolution and “war” and at the same time, it just wasn’t very natural and we … knew it and felt it!

I thought a lot about the value of clowning in a revolutionary society. And about the one improv session were the clowns freely transposed the life of tahrir square on stage!