At the Venice Biennale 2024, where decolonisation is at the forefront of the conversation, the Egyptian Pavilion’s Drama 1882 was one of the most popular presentations during the event’s preview week. Renowned artist Wael Shawky’s feature-length opera, staged and filmed in Alexandria, drew the longest queues in the Giardini and was many people’s ‘must-see’ recommendation.
In this film, Shawky, who looks at pivotal moments in history with a focus on Egypt and the Middle East, considers the Urabi revolution against British imperial rule. It follows Colonel Ahmed Urabi, who founded the Egyptian Nationalist Party with the goal of achieving independence. Events build up into a full-scale British attack on Alexandria, and Urabi’s subsequent exile. Drama 1882 explores the chain of events that led up to this inflection point in a way that sheds light on both history and the world today. A huge production in scale and scope, it is an awe-inspiring work.
