If I Werenʼt Egyptian,... 

Hoping for a better life, young Egyptians flee to Europe where, paradoxically, suicide rates are very high – especially in Switzerland. Paradise for some, hell for others? This is a question posed by Cairo-based director Omar Ghayatt in his performance entitled «If I Werenʼt Egyptian,...». Together with dramaturge Nicole Borgeat and Egyptian bestseller author Alaa Al Aswany, he looks for motives behind the yearning for a better place elsewhere. 

In 70 minutes of visual theatre, the real and fictional characters in “If I Werenʼt Egyptian,...” take us on a journey to their personal paradise. It is a journey along the narrow ridge between illusions and reality – a journey that makes us see everything, including ourselves, in a new light.

Credits 

From the world of: Alaa Al Aswany. Director: Omar Ghayatt. Dramaturgy: Nicole Borgeat. Soundscape: Maxime Denuc. Video: Christoph Oertli. With: Alessia Coldesina, Tarek Shalaby, Khaled Ibrahim, Mohamed Mustafa, Omar Ghayatt. Light: Petra Waldingsperger. Technical Director: Dia Hamed. Administration: Leonie Aeschimann, Naomi Richner. Production: Studio Moroni. Coproduction: Townhouse Gallery, Festival D-CAF Cairo. Supported by: Pro Helvetia, Kultur Stadt Bern, Kanton Bern, Stiftung Ernst Göhner. Guest Appearance supported by Burgergemeinde Bern.