Mazin takes the Centre Stage

Dina Mousawi, Creative Producer at Good Chance, remembers a chance encounter with a smiley man called Mazin.

In September 2018 we built our Good Chance dome at the Museum of the History of Immigration in Paris.

Each morning we would go to the outskirts of the city to meet people and encourage them to come and join with activities in our dome.

It was under a bridge at Porte de la Chapelle, where many refugees were hanging around, some homeless, most with nothing to do, that I met Mazin.

He was a smiley guy from Sudan who had just arrived in the city. He stood back listening to me as I talked with some others about our Dome and the workshops they could take part in.

I could tell he was interested, but a bit shy about whether he should come with us.

As we walked away, I said, Just come along - you have nothing to lose. If you don’t like it you don’t have to stay there.

He ran to join us getting on the tram! A whole hour it took us to get there. He took part in a mask workshop and was hilarious, he helped pin curtains up, he danced, he joined in however he could. The next day he came back, and then almost every day after that.

I haven’t been to Paris since last year but last week I saw a video of a show that La Troupe performed at Forum of Foundations at the College de France in Paris. And there was Mazin, taking centre stage, acting his heart out. I felt so proud that he was still part of the Good Chance family and still attending regular drama workshops with La Troupe.

Photograph (c) Raphaël Hilarion