Events

The evening includes two talks:

• Le désastre de la maison des notables

Zbeida Rassaa, the young wife of Mohsen Naifer, is suspected of having an affair with Tahar Haddad. He, an intellectual from a humble background, is known for his commitment to the trade union and his avant-garde positions, especially in favor of women's rights. In a web of secrets and memories, several members of these two important bourgeois families – the strict and conservative Naifers and the liberal and progressive Rassaas – and their servants look back on the devastating effects of this disastrous evening over the following decades. Like a Russian puppet show, each story contains further narratives and reverses the perspective. 

"Le désastre de la maison des notables" reflects more than fifty years of Tunisian history – from the struggle for independence to the revolution of 2011 – and the struggle of women.

Talk in French, with translation into German.
 

• Shubeik Lubkei. Your wish is my command

In "Shubeik Lubeik. Your wish is my command.", wishes are literally for sale; but only the more expensive wishes work as intended. At a kiosk in Cairo, three people buy wishes in a bottle: Aziza learned early on that life can be hard, but when she loses her husband and is able to fulfill a wish, she fights against unreasonable rules and inequality for the right to have that wish - and to make it come true. Nour is a privileged student who secretly struggles with depression and must decide whether to use her wish to “cure” that depression. And Shokry has to wrestle with his religious beliefs as he decides how to help a friend who doesn't want to use his wish.

Deena Mohammed has created a brilliant graphic novel debut. The illustrator is committed to Islamic and feminist values seen through her work at Harassmap and the Center for Applied Human Rights.

Talk in English.