Samia begins with a true story: that of Samia Yusuf Omar, the young Somali athlete who died in the waters off Lampedusa while trying to reach Europe in the hope of qualifying for the Olympic Games.

 

It is the true story of a life cut short that gave rise to my research, which now takes shape through six bodies, each unique—because, despite our ongoing struggle for equality, we are still not all treated as equals. Yet we all continue to desire. We all continue to run.

 

With this work, I cannot rewrite a life I never lived, but I can help keep alive the memory of Samia Yusuf Omar and of all those who, like her, fight every day to keep running—not merely as victims, but as people determined to choose who they want to become.

 

In the studio, I worked with the performers by reflecting on our own desires and on the limits the world imposes upon us. Together, we sought to push boundaries, both within and beyond the body, and to pursue the freedom that comes with self-determination.

 

A freedom that, despite the privilege of being able to look out at the sea, remains a dream—still a utopia.