The incredible story of a Darfuri actor in Israel
Sudanese Muslim El-Sheikh Hameis never thought his acting dream would come true in Israel
When his film director, Tzahi Meler, called him last month on a Tuesday in the wee hours to say he had won the best actor award at a New York film festival, El-Sheikh Hameis suddenly recalled what it's like to smile again.
Having arrived in Israel in 2007 after an extraordinary journey, this Sudanese Muslim never imagined his dream of becoming an actor would materialize in Tel Aviv. He fled his native village in Darfur at the age of 15 to escape from massacres perpetrated by the Djenjawids, moving away with his family.
When the government decided to enlist all the boys in the army, his father sent him to Egypt hoping to see him return when the situation calms down. But it were only to worsen.
While in Cairo, he worked at a market, spending all his money on books and devouring the classics. "I really wanted to study theater but I didn't have the means. Still, it was a strong desire in me. As I could neither play nor study, I wrote the role I wanted to perform." Hameis wrote by hand nine pieces that tell the story of his country.
"In Sudan, there are about 550 tribes. Each has its own language, its own culture. It's an amazing thing. Some traditions sometimes lead to absurd situations that have been a good fodder for writing comedies," he reflects.
'The best years of my life'
He joined a theater group of Sudanese actors in Cairo, describing it as "The two best years of my life. They were Christian, I was Muslim myself, but we get along very well. We wrote the shows about life in Sudan, we acted out some of the stories of our experience."
Hameis went to the UNHCR office to register as a refugee, and make sure that the Egyptian authorities did not expel him to Sudan. But under pressure from the government of Omar Bashir, UNHCR discontinued the refugee recognition procedures for the Sudanese.
Hameis and his friends had visited the UNHRC offices each day for two years, as nearly 3,000 Sudanese mounted a sit-in front of the UN building. One night, hundreds of Egyptian police arrived and shot at the sleeping protesters. 27 people were killed, others were incarcerated.
"After this tragedy, Sudan did not respond. Until today, this passivity makes me angry," says Hameis adding that these events are" the only reason there are now Sudanese refugees in Israel."
"During my seven years in Egypt at no time did I imagine that I will come one day Israel. I thought of staying in Cairo to study theater and eventually migrating to another country. In the end, life was going well. But after these events, we have become the enemy of the Egyptians," he complains.
Hameis fled again. He went from village to village, eschewing the police who seek the Sudanese demonstrators.
Abrasions all over the body
He decided to go to Israel where he has friends. Without money and a valid visa, passport expired, Israel proved the only possible refuge. Thanks to a Bedouin smuggler met in Sinai, Hameis managed, not without difficulty, to cross the security fence separating Israel from Egypt.
"Then the Egyptian soldiers fired. We rushed to cross the barbed wire the fence. I arrived in Israel with abrasions all over my body. I ran to a house where someone gave me water," he explains.
"As I drank, I saw dozens of soldiers around me. I was sure they were Egyptians. I thought that was the end. Then I heard them talking in a language other than Arabic. I said 'Heaven be praised'. Then they looked after me and took me to Beer Sheva," he adds.
Hameis and other Sudanese then found themselves in the city, with no money and nowhere to go. Most were covered in bandages, others still wearing torn clothes. "While we were in the street, a woman came to give us water and called the UNHCR office in Israel, which sent cars to take us to Tel Aviv," recalls Hameis.
After several attempts, he received the status of "temporary resident" necessary to work and study in Israel. Unlike the others, Hameis took to learning Hebrew. "The other Sudanese were saying 'why are you learning Hebrew, they will soon evict us.'"
At this point Hameis was still driven by his desire to do theater. And he understood that it is in Israel that he will realize his dream. But as always, the greater the ambition, the more numerous the obstacles.
"I took courses but it was complicated because of the language. I tried another school, but did not finish because I did not have the means. Ultimately, I mostly learned through practice." Hameis eventually spent four years studying theater in Israel.
Israelis as inspiration
Courtesy of his love for the theater and his survival instinct, Hameis managed to integrate himself into Israeli society. Working as a lifeguard in a pool, he chatted with Israelis and improved its Hebrew.
"I must admit that the Israelis were a great inspiration for me. I have met people working and studying at the same time. I thought I could do the same thing." Hameis admits being lucky enough to meet "people who want to give, who encourage you to succeed in life."
In 2014, his career took off. He was asked to perform in plays and even got a part in the production of Chekhov's Ivanov by the Cameri Theatre, one of the top theaters in the country.
Yet despite this incredible success, his past doesn’t let off. Photos of him at a Purim spectacle posted to Facebook spark outrage in Sudan. Who is this Darfuri who's feasting with the enemy, they ask in Khartoum.
But it was after an interview with i24news' Culture magazine last year that the Sudanese authorities started hounding him. "Some said that I was working for the Mossad, that I had betrayed my country. My friends were contacted and interrogated about me ... I was furious. I had to be strong to not let this pull me down."
The acting award he received last month made him rediscover the taste for life. "I could not believe it. I was depressed because of the attacks I received. And with this prize, people in Sudan have finally understood that I was a real actor," says Hameis.
An actor whose incredible destiny is inscribing itself vividly upon the Israeli landscape.
Jeremie Elfassy is a journalist for i24news