Welcome to the AZC
At SAWA Collective we believe that young people in the asylum procedure should be seen for who they are: people with their own talents, ambitions, opinions and dreams. Not reduced to their refugee story or to the stories others tell about them.
With Welcome to the AZC we make room for voices that too often go unheard, and we hold up a mirror to Dutch society. The performance questions our ideas about migration, integration and belonging. It invites the audience to take a critical look at their own assumptions and their responsibility for an inclusive society.
Who actually decides who belongs? Why are some people praised for chasing their dreams, while others have to justify themselves for doing exactly the same?
Welcome to the AZC is a co-creation with young adults from Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan and Sudan, the Palestinian director Alaa Shehada (known for The Horse of Jenin) and the Syrian actor Yazan al Hakim. The scenes are based on the lived experience of the performers.
Through theatre we seek connection, without shying away from confrontation. We challenge the audience to look beyond stereotypes, to question dominant narratives and to imagine a society in which everyone has the space to take part and to belong.
In the end, aren’t we all fortune seekers?
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The power of theatre
Welcome to the AZC is an interactive theatre performance by SAWA Collective that challenges the dominant narrative about people in the asylum procedure.
The performance brings the reality of life in an asylum seekers’ centre to the stage. Through personal stories, humour, music, play and poetry, four young people from SAWA Collective share scenes based on their own lives. Their stories are personal, but the questions they raise concern us all.
Four young people in a room. Four languages, four backgrounds. A clock that ticks, yet time seems to stand still. An uncertain future and a turbulent past. Caught in the maze of the system. A waiting room full of hope, frustration, humour, dreams and waiting.
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Previous performances
Welcome to the AZC has been performed at venues including:
- Likeminds Noord – Studio Cube, Amsterdam Fringe Festival
- Theater Bellevue – Klein Bellevue, Amsterdam Fringe Festival
- A Beautiful Mess Oosterdok, during Refugee Welcome Week
- De Keizersgrachtkerk, during The Spirit of Amsterdam
- Theaterfestival de Parade 2025 in Amsterdam and The Hague
What audiences say
- “Thank you for sharing this painful experience in such an inspiring performance. Thank you for bringing new hope and light.”
- “I am truly, deeply impressed by the way you get your message across!”
- “What a wonderful performance! I enjoyed every second. I hope you continue your theatre journey!”
- “Amazing and touching live performance, thanks for showing up and sharing your stories.”
- “So pure and straight from the heart. Let everyone hear this!”
- “What courage is needed to share. Thank you for doing so and doing so with a smile.”
- “Very impressive. Grateful for your openness and for giving a glimpse into a life that, for many, stays behind closed doors. I am moved.”
- “It touched my soul, thank you”
Listening tip
Hedy d’Ancona and Hadassah de Boer also came to see the performance and then discussed it in their podcast Vrolijk Voorwaarts. Listen to the first five minutes of the episode.
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Book the performance
Bring Welcome to the AZC to your theatre, school, cultural institution, festival or community event. The performance opens up the conversation about migration, inclusion, belonging and the society we want to shape together.
Would you like to book the performance or explore a collaboration? We would love to hear from you.
Get in touch at mariejose@sawacollective.nl
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Credits
- Performers
- Mahmoud Dalloul, Emirhan Batkitar, Modather Hamid and Yahia Ahmad
- Direction
- Alaa Shehada
- Script
- The group, Juma Hafeez
- Creation and coaching
- Alaa Shehada and Yazan al Hakim
- Production
- Anouk Tijnagel and Marie-José van Schaik
- Film and photography
- Mustafa Staiti and Ehab Ghafri
- Technical
- Ira Helfferich
Made possible in part with support from the municipality of Amsterdam, the Amarte Fonds and the VSB Fonds.