Khaberni - Sudanese actor Mohamed Trous ignited a wave of controversy in cultural and artistic circles, after presenting an unusual theatrical performance during a cultural celebration for the Sudanese community in the Ugandan capital Kampala, where he removed part of his clothes on stage as part of his artistic performance.
A circulating video clip showed Trous delivering an unconventional performance, gradually stripping off his clothes, in an attempt to embody the suffering of the Sudanese people and symbolically express the oppression and suffocation resulting from the ongoing war in his country for more than four years.
The artist continued his performance in front of the audience, holding papers in his hand, repeating the phrase: "I am an artist searching for freedom for years", in a direct message reflecting his protest against the reality and his pursuit of artistic expression of the demands for freedom and peace.
Reactions to Trous's performance were mixed; while his supporters saw the performance as holding symbolic significance expressing the suffering of Sudan and the ongoing crises it is experiencing, critics considered it a shocking and unjustified act, not in harmony with the nature of the occasion or with prevailing social traditions.
In response to the controversy, Mohamed Trous appeared in a recorded video to clarify his position, emphasizing that what he presented in Kampala comes within the context of previous artistic experiments, including a previous theatrical performance that addressed the issue of gold smuggling, and he stressed that he does not pay attention to the bullying campaigns that targeted him and his family, confirming his determination to continue expressing his positions in the way he sees appropriate.
Trous clarified that he does not belong to any political side, and that his works stem from his humane feeling towards what is happening in Sudan, pointing out that removing parts of clothes in theatrical performances is not a new matter, but has historically been used as a means of expression in various protest and intellectual contexts around the world.
