When I Saw the Sea

On stage, three women. They are Ethiopian and Lebanese. In a Lebanon ravaged by bombs, they struggle to escape the kafala system, which subjects migrant workers to a form of modern slavery and makes them even more vulnerable to the hardships of war. Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour brings these three women to the stage for the first time, driven by the urgency of making their voices heard and celebrating their spirit of resistance. Through song, movement, and speech, Zena, Tenei, and Rania tell their stories and those of hundreds of others. At the crossroads between dance, music, and theatre, When I Saw the Sea transcends categories to return power to the bodies, exalting the vital force of those who are both witnesses and heroines of our times.

عبر الغناء والرقص، تقاوم ثلاث نساء نظاماً يخضع العاملات المهاجرات إلى أحد أشكال العبودية الحديثة في لبنان. 

Interview with ALI CHAHROUR

With Tenei Ahmad, Zena Moussa, Rania Jamal
Musical composition and performance by Lynn Adib, Abed Kobeissy 

Direction and choregraphy Ali Chahrour
Assistant director and choreographer Chadi Aoun  
Tehnical management and lighting design Guillaume Tesson 
Scenography Ali Chahrour, Guillaume Tesson 
Sound management Benoît Rave 
Assistant to the technical director Pol Seif
Proofreading Hala Omran
Translation in French Marianne Noujeim
Translation in English Chadi Aoun
Head of communications Chadi Aoun
Production Chadi Aoun, Christel Salem

Production Ali Chahrour 
Production directors Chadi Aoun, Christel Salem 
Co-production Festival d’Avignon, Ibsen Scope (Skien), HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), AFAC Arab fund for arts and culture (Beyrouth), Al Mawred al Thaqafi (Beyrouth), DeSingel Antwerp (Anvers), Domino Zagreb / Perforations Festival, Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Zürich), Théâtre Al Madina (Hamra, Beyrouth)

With the support Théâtre Beryte (Beyrouth), Institut français de Beyrouth, Wicked Solutions, WASL productions, Raseef (Beyrouth), Beit el Laffé (Beyrouth), Houna Center (Beyrouth), Orient 499 (Beyrouth)
Artistic residency La FabricA du Festival d’Avignon
Acknowledgments Kafa, Megaphone, Daraj Media, Hammana Artist House, Théâtre Zoukak, Seenaryo, Mohana Ishak, Hussein Hajj, Abdallah Hatoum, Anthony Sahyoun, Ali Khedr, Eric Deniaud, Chrystèle Khodr, Raymond Zakaria, Hind Hamdan, Viany Ngemakoue, Sophie Ndongo, Jouma Fayé, Mariam Sesay, Sarie Teshome, Aisha Temam, Raheel Teshome, Mihret Birhane, Laurentine Mbekati

Performance in partnership with France Médias Monde

Les Mutuelles d’assurances et le Groupe AXA, Grands mécènes de l’édition 2025 du Festival d’Avignon.