When I Saw the Sea

On stage, three women. They are Ethiopian and Lebanese. In bomb-ridden Lebanon, they are trying to escape the Kafala system, which subjects migrant workers to a form of modern-day slavery and makes them even more vulnerable to the ravages of war. Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour brings these three women to the stage for the first time, with the urgency to make their voices heard, celebrating their spirit of resistance. Through song, gesture and words, Zena, Tenei and Rania carry the stories of hundreds of others. Between dance, music and theater, Quand j'ai vu la Mer frees itself from categories to give power back to the bodies, exalting the vital power of those who are as much witnesses as heroines of modern times.