Usama Al Shahmani and Arzije Asani
Photo: Ayse Yavas
Usama Al Shahmani, born in Baghdad in 1971 and raised in Qalat Sukar (Nasirija), studied Arabic and modern Arabic literature. He published three books on Arabic literature before he had to flee to Switzerland in 2002 because of a theatre play. He translates into Arabic, with his works including ‘Fräulein Stark’ by Thomas Hürlimann, ‘Der Islam’ by Peter Heine and ‘Über die Religion’ by Friedrich Schleiermacher and others. He has been a literary critic for Swiss television channel SRF's ‘Literaturclub’ since 2021. His first novel, ‘In der Fremde sprechen die Bäume arabisch’, won several awards and was nominated for the ‘Favourite Book of the Swiss German Book Trade’ amongst others. Since then, his novels ‘Im Fallen lernt die Feder fliegen’ and ‘Der Vogel zweifelt nicht am Ort, zu dem er fliegt’ have also been published. Usama Al Shahmani lives in Frauenfeld. In 2022, he took part in the 46th Festival of German-Language Literature in Klagenfurt, where he presented his text ‘Porträt des Partnerships ’.
Photo: Migmar Dolma
Arzije Asani, born in 1994 in Altstätten (SG), has two great passions: documentary film-making and writing. In her production studio ‘Sie2’ in Zurich, she realises various reports together with her business partner. In her free time, she concentrates mainly on writing. Arzije Asani’s work is primarily concerned with the topics of migration, feminism and mental health.
Project
The project idea revolves around the special relationship between Rozë and her father Shefket, who suffers from bipolar disorder and dementia. As they leaf through an old picture book together, memories gradually return to Shefket.
The images open a window into his past and into the stories of the villagers, which are characterised by personal conflicts and fates – all linked by the denial of reality. Central themes such as shame, pride, distorted perceptions and faking other identities in order to hide vulnerability take centre stage. Besides Rozë and Shefket, the stories give readers an insight on other villagers, each escaping reality in their own way: the kiosk saleswoman Valdete, the dreamer Hatixhe and the searching artist Bejta.
The coaching includes a phase in which the appropriate form of storytelling is developed so that these fates and their interdependencies can be recounted sensitively and effectively.
