- 19:30
- Teatro del Barrio
- Ticketed event
TOMA 2025 opening night will bring together a group of artists, media professionals and activists committed to the anti-racist, feminist and freedom of expression struggles, to discuss the search for alternative narratives that confront the discourses of fear and hatred. In addition to this, we will meet all the participating Theatre of the Oppressed companies, as well as other collectives and people from the district.
The Theatre company Teatro sin Papeles will be in charge of the opening with ‘El sueño es vida’ (The dream is life). A monologue written by Moisés Mato and performed by Thimbo Samb, who narrates his experience as a migrant and as a person ‘without papers’, to suggest a change of perspective and show us a universal story about desire and the power of dreams. A story that the audience will be able to complete at the end of the performance and which will give way to the subsequent debate.
For this, we will have a round table moderated by our colleague Alba Villanueva, from Meta-Comunica, with the participation of: journalist Sarah Babiker, from El Salto Diario who writes about migrations, anti-racism and social rights; Sato Díaz, head of the Politics section of “Público”; with feminist and migrant activist Rafaela Pimentel Lara, domestic and care worker; Darío Adanti, co-editor of Revista Mongolia; Montse Forcadas, president of Forn de Teatre Pa’tothom; Domingo Ortega, professor of acting at the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático; Sofía de Roa, actress in the censored play “Malditas de Dios” and journalist; and the beforementioned actor Thimbo Samb.
Theatre Play
Dream is a life
- Teatro del Barrio C/Zurita 20
- 19:30 hrs
- Capacity: 131 people
El sueño es vida turns Calderón de la Barca’s proposal on its head, turning dreams into an opportunity to get out of prison. A poetic and very personal reading of humanity, an essay on desire and the power of dreams, a universal experience linked to the exodus of a migratory journey.
In the midst of the vicissitudes of the journey, there are references to Spanish literature and philosophical reflections linked to the existence of any human being.
Round Table
Building a new narrative through art to confront the rise of the discourse of the extreme right
Sarah Babiker
Journalist and partner of El Salto Diario. Specialist in international information and countries of the South, I write mainly about migration, anti-racism and social rights. Experience as a trainer in gender and communication, critical journalism and migration journalism. Activist for universal basic income. Author of the novel Café Abismo (La Oveja Roja, 2024) and the narrative essay La Nada Fértil (Continta me tienes, 2024).
Rafaela Pimentel
I am 64 years old and I am of Dominican origin. I arrived in Spain in 1992 and soon after I started working as a domestic worker. Together with other women, we formed the collective Territorio Doméstico to build a space to listen and fight for the construction of positive discourses on migration and the value of care work. We do this through art (song, theatre, dance) in a way that includes all of us.
Thimbo Samb
I am Senegalese. I lived the experience of all the ‘sans-papiers’ who arrived in Spain. I made my way in the cinema and in series, working on a multitude of artistic projects. I joined Teatro sin papeles as an actor in Boza and after two years I took on the solo staging of my experiences in the play El sueño es vida (The dream is life).
Sofía de Roa
Actress in the company ‘Doce Canciones’. I have been involved in the defence of human rights since 2002, when I came to Madrid to study journalism, a profession that I have developed both in the private sphere and in social movements (Unión de Radios Libres y Comunitarias, the 15M movement, the 8M Commission or Caravana abriendo Fronteras). Specialist in political parties and organisational culture.
Sato Díaz
I was born in Albacete. I define myself as an actor and a journalist. As for the latter, I am currently the head of politics at the newspaper “Público”. Previously, I was director of the digital newspaper cuartopoder.es. As an actor, I worked in different plays such as Un cuerpo a la deriva or El valle de los cautivos and I have written others such as La actriz ha muerto.
Montse Forcadas
Together with my brother Jordi Forcadas, I founded Forn de teatre Pa’tothom in 2000. In addition to the admin tasks, I participate jointly in numerous theatrical projects to encourage a critical attitude towards the current social structures. I am currently linked to the Catalan Tenants’ Union and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign in favour of the Palestinian people.
Domingo Ortega
D. in Humanities from the UC3M and Drama degree from the Resad, in addition to being an actor, director and playwright, I have been a teacher in various Spanish and Latin American institutions. My participation in the Transatlantic Theater Project directed by Marco Antonio de la Parra led me to delve into social theater, which I apply in my teaching work at the Resad as well as in different projects and articles.
Darío Adanti
I am an Argentinian comedian, cartoonist and illustrator based in Madrid. As co-editor of Mongolia Magazine, I can say that we defend freedom of expression and creation through satire against the powers that be. Curiously, and I suppose it is related to this, we have to face lawsuits from ultra-right-wing or ultra-religious groups and, for instance, go to court to explain jokes.
The ‘TOMA 2025’ project is co-funded by the European Union. The opinions and views expressed on this website are solely those of the author(s) (Asociación Bajando al Sur) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the SEPIE National Agency can be held responsible for them.
