“In Giufà’s shoes” by Nuova Accademia degli Arrischianti of Sarteano

Giufà (Sicilian name) is a bridge-character born in the 13th century in Turkey: tradition portrays him as a wise and honest man, known to all for his righteousness.
Born with the name Nasreddine Hoja, through centuries of travels, wars, trades, migrations, we find him as the protagonist in traditional stories across the Mediterranean basin under different names and with different attitudes: Khodja, Djoha (Morocco), Guha (Egypt), Nastradin Hoxha (Albania), El Tonto (Spain), Manuel Tolo (Portugal), Cecafumo (Calabria), Giucca, and Cecco in Tuscany.
From a wise master, he becomes a wise fool, a simpleton, a child, an adult… Giufà’s stories are recognizable because the protagonist always uses his naïve logic to outsmart the cunning or to explain the wonders of nature.
The performance, enriched with live music played on various instruments and scenic movements that blend street theater, commedia dell’arte, and clowning, starts with the funniest and most well-known stories, taking the audience on an entertaining journey between Sicily and the Middle East, culminating in a new, original story where Giufà meets the Woman with the Red Flower, who fights for freedom in Egypt during the Arab Spring.