Im Fallen lernt die Feder fliegen

Usama Al Shahmani
Reading and Panel Discussion

10.11.2023, 19:00
Hauptbücherei am Gürtel, Urban Loritz-Platz 2a, 1070 Wien

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. It not only ended decades of dictatorship, but also disappointed many hopes for a better future in Iraq. In his books, Iraqi-Swiss author Usama Al Shahmani sensitively shows how these events inscribed themselves in the lives of people who fled violence and persecution.

The Iraqi-Swiss author tells the story of Aida, a young woman who feels at home neither in Switzerland nor in her parents' country of origin, Iraq. Aida begins to write down what she cannot say. Born in an Iranian refugee camp, she came to Switzerland with her family. The children go to school there, but her parents can't cope with everyday life in the West and increasingly glorify their homeland. Then the father decides to return to Iraq with the whole family. But when the older daughter is to be married off, the girls flee back to Switzerland. But the past does not let them go either.

Reading and Panel Discussion:
Usama Al Shahmani, Author, Suisse
German Reading of the text: Zeynep Alan, Actress, Vienna
Chair: Tyma Kraitt, Journalist, Vienna
Usama Al Shahmani - Im Fallen lernt die Feder fliegen (vidc.org)