Arabic Cultural Exchange: Chicago/Casablancan Performance

My Students

Arabic is spoken by 420 million people around the world. Who are these people? Where do they live? How have their inventions contributed positively to affect society? Only through authentic cultural exchange can citizens from around the world have mutual understanding, empathy and respect.

My students come from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

They all starve for authentic interactions with people living in Arabic speaking countries. They are eager to learn about everyday life of Arabic speaking people. The more candid exposure they have with Arabic speaking people, the more they will be curious to understand, share and grow in their Arabic language and culture. My students are enthusiastic to explore their ideas by writing, performing and discussing their Arabic learning. So far, their Arabic learning experience has included listening activities, photographs and lessons from textbooks. An interactive, cultural exchange would make a lasting impact on their relationship with the Arabic culture and language. They signed up for this class because they either have Arabic relatives who speak the language, they want to be exposed to an under-represented culture, or they are interested in developing Arabic for their professional future.

My Project

Through the theatre writing and performance residency with Global Voices, my students will write theatre pieces about their everyday interests in the Arabic language, share them with their Casablanca, Moroccan pen pals who will perform their stories in Arabic based on my Chicago students scripts. Then, students in Casablanca will write their everyday life stories in English, share them with my students in Chicago and then my students will perform their life stories in English for the Casablancan students via an Internet sharing, video conference. Both groups will work with artists in residence in both countries simultaneously. Groups in both countries will develop their writing skills, theme, setting, character, plot, elements of drama, conflict and dialogue. They will teach each other their languages. Via cooperating and collaborating with people from very different backgrounds with different beliefs, traditions and cultures--these students' lives will be deeply, transformed.

“The best way to bridge our differences is people to people.

That’s the beauty of Global Voices: using the arts to connect young people throughout the world--not in a political way or through policy decision, but through simple human contact.”- Bob Keith, US State Dept. For students involved in both countries, this opportunity will open doorways, break down misconceptions, build bridges and shed light on how we all may have different backgrounds but sill have so many life qualities that we share.