Collaborative project with Marwa Zakaria
in the Goethe Institute´s series "Dar el-Hiwar".
With
our "3rabiet elsa3ada" (happy car) that we built according to Egyptian
pick up design we drive into different parts of Cairo and ask people for
a sentence beginning with the words: "I am happy because..."
"I
am happy because I can actually go to school again after I have not been
able to go there for a long time! And because I want to go to university.
That´s why I am happy."
"I
am happy. The weather is so nice and thank God, everything is okay. I am
happy about everything. Everything is so cheep...everything is okay...the
weather is nice...we have plenty of rice...the bread is of very good quality...."
"I am happy because I love Egypt and God."
" I am happy because my son has passed his final school exams, but
I am also sad because he is not going to go to university...that´s
it!"
"I am happy because I met Bush and Arafat, and because I tried to change
the bad situation in Iraq somehow...To be honest, I did everything I could...As
soon as I had calmed down one side, the others stood up again...and as soon
I had calmed them down again, the first ones stood up again...In any case
it is very good that the Americans have not found any nuclear weapons...We
have organized conferences and I did everything I had to do...."
" I am happy because we will be organizing the soccer world cup 2010
and because our country, inschaallah, will become clean again."
" Me, I am very happy, because I am writing poems and I am glad when
people like my poetry...To be honest, I am scared, I will not finish reading
the poem...I will say something different now...."
" I am happy because I live...to me happiness is living with people
you love...and I am living with people I love...."
" We need a working sewage system in our district, we want running
water...we want money and a school...and a hospital...."
" I am happy because I am being filmed in this very moment and I am
going to sing a song...Apart from that there is nothing that makes me happy...Can
I sing a song now?"