Contado pela minha mãe

This is the story of a family, repeated across many other families in Beirut and its outskirts. It is the story of a mother’s love — told, sung, and danced by Ali Chahrour and his family.

 

Contado pela minha mãe is the story of Fatima, Ali Chahrour’s aunt, who spent the final years of her life searching for her son Hassan, lost in the Syrian war.

It’s also the story of Laila and her son Abbas, Ali Chahrour’s relatives, who are on stage with him and lend their presence to the mothers and sons who are no longer present.

It’s a story of big and small wars; of collective and private victories and losses.

Whitin these family hardships, Ali Chahrour finds a cultural heritage dedicated to the expression of love. The music in the performance — performed by Hala Omran and the electro-acoustic duo Two or The Dragon (Ali Hout & Abed Kobeissy)— draws from the songs sung at home, on occasions of grief and joy. With gestures and movements heavy with history, the performers tell, sing, and dance their stories in order for memory to survive.