We are looking for committed volunteers to play a key part in realising the UK's premier annual festival of Arab arts and culture in Liverpool this summer.

We are looking for committed volunteers to play a key part in realising the UK's premier annual festival of Arab arts and culture in Liverpool this summer.
More events have been announced for the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returning for its 23rd year this July.
This Moroccan iteration explores speculative and fictional perspectives, unveiling new layers through a public program accompanying the exhibition.
Through sculpture, photo-collage, drawing, and textiles, Nour Bishouty investigates the impulses of tourism and sightseeing, foregrounding questions around permission and the production of fantasy.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returns for its 23rd year this July.
Award-winning singer, composer and flautist, Nai Barghouti is one of the most distinguished vocalists of a new generation of Palestinian and Arab artists.
The Youth Music Trailblazer grant gave us the opportunity to reach out to young people of Arab / Middle Eastern and North African heritage who are underrepresented in the music industry – providing a platform for them to learn and develop their skills in DJing, mixing and production.
The driving motivation behind the project was to increase young people’s access and opportunities to experience, perform and develop a wide range of skills from professional DJs; to curate contemporary music that is representative of them, their artistry, their generation and cultural heritage.
“The project has helped me show other people who I am through DJing and music.”
– Young person involved in the project
The initial idea for the project came about through consultation and research with young people who attended Liverpool Arabic Centre and Kaalmo Youth Development – two community-based organisations that were instrumental in facilitating young people’s participation in the project.
From March 2023 to October 2024, the project engaged 76 young people of Arab heritage and Global Majority, aged 11-24. The participants attended DJ workshops and masterclasses and had no prior music experience.
“It’s been so worth going to DJing sessions, learning and having fun, meeting new people and exploring my cultural heritage, it was worth everything.”
– Young person involved in the project
Twenty-four young people participated in three or more workshops and were mentored by professional DJs who supported them in developing specific technical production skills. We also facilitated visits to some of Liverpool’s most iconic music venues, offering young people the opportunity to experience a diverse range of industry roles – from venue operation and technical production to performance based roles.
Ten young people played a key role in evaluating and planning project activities, including the research visits to music venues. The process enabled young people to develop ownership and confidence to shape the project delivery.
Five young people have since progressed into music industry volunteer roles, including LAAF young people’s subgroup, who will help shape music-making activities and performances for younger audiences.
“It helped in so many ways, not just with music but also with my self-confidence.”
– Young person involved in the project
We are seeking an experienced and effective Operations and Finance Manager to join the Senior Management Team at LAAF.
We’re pleased to be supporting Somali women’s theatre piece, Desperate Times, a sell-out hit by emerging new writer Amal Abdi, at Unity Theatre this month.
Desperate Times
Unity Theatre
Thursday 31st October
7:00pm
BOOK TICKETS
£12 or £6 Creative Pool
Running time: Approx 70mins
From the makers of the award winning show, Dugsi Dayz, Side eYe productions presents Desperate Times.
Meet Lucky. Teacher by day. Petty thief by night.
Meet Lucky, a bored and lonely supply teacher, who has developed a compulsion for petty thieving. She feels invincible and lives for the drama, until she tells a lie that not even she can charm her way out of. How long can she keep up the act? In this one woman play, step into the tumultuous unhinged world of Lucky.
Praise for Side eYe:
‘Dazzling, hilarious, touching & entertaining’ ★★★★ To Do List
‘British Somali women’s theatre gives the ‘Side eYe’ to exclusion’ – Reuters
Credits:
Join Cameroonian-Kuwaiti actor and performance-maker Colette Dalal Tchantcho to explore some foundational tools for using your life experience to create performance material.