Peter Farrugia meets Egyptian actress and author Nora Amin to discuss the dynamic changes in Egypt, and popular culture’s vital role in fostering social change.

A life dedicated to the arts offers challenges and achievements in equal measure. Some people struggle under the pressure while others develop an easy confidence and openness to the world.

With her back to the Mediterranean, across the sea from St Julian’s bay, Nora Amin is every inch the cultural innovator.

Actress, director and author, respected in Egypt and on the international scene, Amin’s visit to Malta for the British Council’s Cultural Leadership programme offers a powerful new platform.

Talking about her role as a cultural leader, Amin says: “It’s a great chance to connect with other cultural leaders, like Malta’s Toni Attard, and exchange important views on cultural policy and other factors in the arts. Being in Malta I feel a lot of similarities to my country and also some of the challenges, both cultural and social, are very similar.”

In the light of the unprecedented transformation sweeping the region, Amin takes a moment to consider the effects of the Egyptian revolution.

“This is a historic moment in Egypt and it is nice to see all the work done in the independent cultural sector, over the past 15 years, contribute so massively to political and cultural change.”

All too often, the formative role that social media and the performing arts play in raising awareness gets forgotten in the aftermath of political turmoil. Politicians bandy slogans, reworked from the altogether more poignant words of poets – but in the end, Amin feels satisfied.

“We are very conscious of the next challenge and the next phase will be very demanding. Triggering change is easier than applying it with consensus, with maximum participation. That will take hard work and this is the work of culture, to help reshape our political future and avoid falling into the same traps. We will change as people.”

Now that censorship, while still official, no longer functions, the pride and dignity of people have been restored and we can tell our stories with renewed charisma and openness, says Amin.

When asked about the situation in Libya, Amin sighs. “Libya is a very sad story. I cannot help but think of the whole picture in a scenario for a historical, political film; it just seems surreal. But something special about the arts is our vision for the future. It keeps us from pessimism.”

Amin has worked in the performing arts since she was a teenager, forging a place for herself in the dance world. She joined performance groups while at University and throughout the 1990s these provided the strongest alternative to state run theatre.

When these groups matured into independent theatre companies, she was hosted at the Cairo Opera House and developed her craft as a professional performer.

One of the first Egyptian actresses to garner respect on stage and also as a writer, Amin found success in Classical Arabic productions alongside contemporary work, and cinema.

In 2000, using the experience she had gained to set up her own theatre group, she was able to fully explore an interest in the physicality of performance, improvisation and biographical expression.

“This filled a gap in Egyptian theatre. I am most interested in a very contemporary feeling, rooted in our daily reality,” she says.

Her latest book deals with the women who suffered during the war in Sudan. “Working with them was life changing, they are exceptional survivors. When you work with them in a performance format, in storytelling, you can see that this kind of expression is organically embedded in the human being. Re-enactment is a way of reconciling with the self and one’s past. It is a healing tool that helps us transform ourselves.”

Using these techniques in Egypt, Amin dedicates her time to a monthly storytelling event where ordinary people tell their stories.

“It’s real information versus mass media and I believe it was crucial during the uprisings. The last artistic event I know of that was held in Alexandria, before the unrest, was the storytelling event.”

Amin’s outdoor storytelling sessions draw old and young alike, mostly men because many women still felt insecure sharing their stories to a mixed audience. But this is changing too, she says.

With an eye to the future, Amin is already considering new work. “I’m thinking of a project to analyse what Egypt has been through in the revolution. But it will take time to feel enough distance from what has happened.” Her current focus will remain storytelling as a vehicle for real stories and real changes in society.

“In times of change, we need to develop forms where people can share more openly, voice how they want to develop their society. I see the arts as a platform for social discussions and dreams.

It’s the position of the audience that is shifting from receiver to partner, and with storytelling the shift is even more subtle. From the moment a story becomes personal, it becomes truly universal.”

More information about Nora Amin and her work can be found on her website www.noraamin.tk.

The British Council (Malta) invited Nora Amin to deliver a presentation at the cultural leadership seminar organised by the Creative Economy Working Group within the Ministry of Finance.

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