Dreamer

Dreamer is a semi-autobiographical performance of an urgent witness about three Black women in Arab society. 

Salama, Eman and Juliette. Each is a model of possibility, representing the choices and challenges faced by Black women in the Arab World. They are confronted with the weight of invisibility. They assert themselves. They love, hurt, and heal.

Through their interconnected lives, Dreamer reveals what racism, misogyny and xenophobia look like alongside culture, faith and joy. It interrogates regional gender and sexual politics, the friction between modernity and tradition, and the generational conflicts which shape how black women relate to each other and themselves.

Dreamer reflects a varied, textured Black experience that has long been silenced and hidden away.

Lead Creative and Performer: Colette Dalal Tchantcho

Directed by: Lama Amine

Dreamer was created with a team of eight dedicated artists. For some of these artists, being named publicly as a collaborator in work tackling themes such as colourism, queerness, and the politics of Arab Society could impact their future work, visa status and physical safety. Listing only those who are safe to be named perpetuates the imbalance of visibility that can happen when white Western collaborators are invited to work in an Afro-Arab space. Therefore, the creative team has collectively chosen not to be listed in print. Colette deeply appreciates them, their work, and their dedication. Please keep in mind that work such as this is supported by significant amounts of invisible labour, both practical and emotional, and that work does not end once the production is staged.