Ahmed El Attar brings rage, resistance and humanity to the stage in Avignon

The world-renowned Avignon Theatre Festival is celebrating its 80th edition in the south of France. This year’s guest language is Korean, offering audiences insight into drama, dance and literary works by Korean artists. The festival also features Julien Gosselin’s high-tech literary exploration of evil in “Maldoror”, staged at the Palais des Papes.

Egyptian director Ahmed El Attar presents his play “Salma mon amour”, which explores how the war in Gaza affects a wealthy family in Cairo. In an interview, El Attar explains why he wanted to paint a more nuanced portrait of his Gen Z heroine, moving beyond common stereotypes. For him, the feelings of injustice and rage he wrote into Salma’s character constitute an urgent humanitarian message.