Mayo was a participant in the Art et Liberté movement, established in Cairo in 1939. This collective dedicated itself to advancing Surrealist art principles and championed the battle against nationalism and colonialism. In this painting, a throng of Surrealist figures are caught in a struggle. Their bodies are embedded within a composition consisting of opposing diagonals that create a kind of lattice across the surface of the picture, making the idyllic outdoor restaurant seem inaccessible. This picture was based on Mayo’s observations of demonstrations in Cairo. The fact that restaurant patrons cannot be distinguished from intruders reflects the political situation in Egypt at the time.