While there is much talk in the news of jihad and the young people who go to fight in Syria, the actor and director Ismail Saidi, of Moroccan origin, chose to give this topic a humorous spin by directing and staging a play that tackles the issue.
Jihad is the name chosen by Ismael Saidi for his new piece of tragicomic theater which will be played at the North Pole area 26 to 30 December. "Jihad" is the story of Ben, Reda and Ismail, three young men from Brussels facing the idleness of their life. They decide to leave in the name of their religion, Islam, for Syria to fight alongside other jihadists.
Along this tragicomic odyssey that will take them from Schaerbeek to Homs via Istanbul, they will discover the reasons why each of them left and they will be faced with many hurdles and a much less idyllic situation than expected. "The three characters form a team with very different profiles. Ben is the ideologue; Reda is the dreamer and Ismael the tortured. Before beginning their epic journey, they were not specifically acquainted with each other. At most, they met at the mosque, "says Ismail Saidi.
"I wanted to write this piece because it is a topic that everyone is talking about without knowing what it is exactly. If a young person steals candy, we will say that he may go to Syria. We’re no longer talk of something else. When I was younger, we were offered to go fight in Afghanistan. I know the process. So I wanted to write a piece that unites us all in a humorous tone. My job as a writer is to write a little black comedy where we try to provoke debate. We do not want young people to leave, "said Ismael Saidi.
At his side, he appealed to Ben Hamidou, actor who needs no introduction, Reda Chebchoubi ("Moroccan Gigolos") and Shark Carrera.
The play "Jihad" is played from December 26 to December 30 at the North Pole Area (floor Antwerp 205 in Brussels) at 8:30 pm
Click here to see the play rehearsals.Click here to see the play rehearsals.