(2012) Playwright Statement: Fouad Teymour on The Night Jesus Joined the Revolution

Chances are that you were inspired by the Arab Spring. So imagine how it must have felt to me, an Egyptian American who has witnessed first hand the slow erosion of his motherland and its norms over many decades, to be finally seeing a first glimpse of hope as the revolution erupted.

Like many of my expat compatriots, I was forced to watch from afar. I had to look for any scraps of information I could lay my hands on; and on this occasion there were plenty. We spent the eighteen days continuously monitoring TV, Internet and Twitter news, then rebroadcasting it to an email list linking a few dozen friends geographically distributed across North America, Europe and the Middle East; the natural shift in our schedules helped cover the events 24/7. We worked in unison just like those brave souls in the square. On a couple of occasions we even took to the streets. We participated in rallies, organized by several Chicago Arab associations, to support the cause of the revolution (one was on a particularly cold February night).

Then there was of course February 2, a critical day in the revolution, and the day the big snow blizzard hit Chicago. I was stranded in my apartment for almost two days, without water, electricity, or an elevator, but thankfully the backup generator power was sufficient to keep my laptop recharged. I watched every minute exactly as it unfolded in the square that night. Molotov cocktails and butane bottles were being launched from atop high buildings, rock projectiles were flying everywhere, young men were instantly falling hit by bullets that seemed to come from nowhere. When the sun rose in Cairo and it became apparent that the attempt to annihilate the revolution had failed, I remember thinking: “When the revolution triumphs, it would be thanks to those who persevered on this night. History will always remember them.”

The opening night of my play is inspired by that night and is intended to pay tribute to those heroes. I hope that now you understand why I felt compelled to write this story. Add to this the myriad of stories I heard from people I interviewed when I later visited Cairo in May 2011, and my personal experience of participating in protests and rallies in Tahrir square on three occasions in May and December 2011, and here we are.

How Jesus got into the mix is another story. Ask me during talkback if you want to know.