Gathering together interviews, essays, rare archival material and translations, 'The Tempest Society' revisits and resuscitates the forgotten heritage of a politicised theatre group "Al Assifa" that was born out of the struggles of the Mouvement des travailleurs arabes (MTA), Palestine, anti-colonialism, and workers' and immigrant labour rights. Contributors explore the legacy of the group. placing this history in the context of the European economic crisis and its effect on Greece, contemporary migration and the conditions of immigrant workers and refugees. Conversations with the artist, and participants and collaborators in her film, consider the potential for politicised art to move between the street and the factory in cultural production today. Following 'The Tempest Society' (2017), the original video installation commissioned for documenta 14, which took Athens as a site to reflect on democracy and theatre, the book brings to light the specific history, the archive, and the ongoing resonance of the agit-prop theatre group "Al-Assifa" in the context of urgent economic, political and humanitarian upheaval.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.