Tag: Arab

A Day in the Life – Poetry and Short Story Competition

A Day in the Life – Arabic
A Day in the Life consent form – Arabic

If you’re an aspiring writer of Arab heritage, you need to know about a new international poetry and short story competition – with £1,000 worth of prizes to be won.  

The A Day in the Life competition is being launched by Liverpool Hope University in conjunction with Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

Entrants of Arab heritage, under the age of 21, are being invited to submit either a poem, short story or video clip which shines a light on an aspect, either positive or negative, of their life in the Liverpool City Region.

It could be related to school, work, community or leisure time, and should give a snapshot of a typical 24 hours in the person’s life.

Applicants can use whatever medium they’d like – whether it’s written word, short video, a rap or a link to their TikTok or any other social media clip.

Both the Palestinian Writers Union and the Jordanian Writers Society are also hosting their own A Day in the Life competitions in their native countries, and delegates from each will Zoom-in to a special winners’ ceremony held in Liverpool in July during this year’s Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

Professor Michael Lavalette, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Hope, said: “This is a great opportunity for aspiring young writers and creative thinkers. What we really want to see are poems or short stories that really offer a window into someone’s lived experience. There are no restrictions as to what you might address – this is about how you interpret a day in your own life. Applicants can use a variety of mediums to capture their thoughts, whether it’s a written poem or short story, or whether you turn those ideas into a video or social media snippet. For me, the cross-national element of the competition is really exciting. Both Liverpool Hope University and LAAF are committed to fostering links between communities, and we hope this is a way to build further bridges. Of course the prize money isn’t bad, either!”

Afrah Qassim, Chair of LAAF, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Liverpool Hope University on this great initiative. Our 2022 festival theme is points of connection between cultures and this project encapsulates this wonderfully. From writing to video and audio clips, we can’t wait to see the creative responses in this cross-national competition.”

There will be two categories for applicants in Liverpool:

  1. 16 years and under
  2. 17 to 21 years

Prizes are as follows: 1st: £250 2nd: £150 3rd: £100.

The UK competition will be judged by experts from Hope and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and its community partners, with the winner announced during the organisation’s big summer spectacular on Wednesday July 13th.

One of those judges will be the award-winning poet Dr Eleanor Rees, who is also Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Hope.

Among the panel of judges from LAAF are prize-winning Yemeni novelist Hamdan Dammag and Amina Atiq, a Yemeni- Scouse poet, performance artist, creative practitioner and award-winning community activist.

The big reveal will take place at Liverpool Hope University’s Great Hall, located at the city centre Creative Campus, on Wednesday July 13th, as part of Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

Founded in 1998, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is the UK’s longest-running annual Arab arts and culture festival, platforming the best UK and international Arab artists.  The festival creates a dynamic between traditional and contemporary Arab artforms, encouraging informed debate that explores, and increases, appreciation of Arab people and their rich cultures. Liverpool Arab Arts Festival’s work continues throughout the year, with a wide range of events and participatory projects that bring together artists and diverse communities. From Liverpool to the Arab world, LAAF builds connections that help more people to encounter and experience Arab culture in Liverpool and beyond. The year-round programme of artistic and cultural events includes Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, which runs this year from Thursday 7 – Sunday 17 July 2022. Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Murad Sudani, General Secretary of the Palestinian Writers Union, said of the A Day in the Life initiative: “This competition is a great opportunity for young people in Palestine, Jordan and Liverpool to learn from each other and about each other’s lives. It is the first, but hopefully not the last, shared competition between students in our countries.”

Meanwhile the Jordanian Writers Society is chaired by Muhammed Khudair, a celebrated and multi award-winning poet.

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Terms and conditions

The competition is open to those of Arab heritage either living in the Liverpool City Region (as well as separately in Palestine and Jordan). 

Any video-based submissions must be either one minute in duration, or less. 

Any written submissions must be of a maximum permitted 500 words in length. 

Categories for applicants are as follows:

1) 16 years and under

2) 17 to 21 years

Prizes are as follows, for each age group: 1st: £250 2nd: £150 3rd: £100.

Full details can be found at https://www.hope.ac.uk/socialsciences/adayinthelifecompetition

To submit your application by emailing adayinthelife@hope.ac.uk.

Please include a filled-in Competition Consent Form, which can be found at: https://www.hope.ac.uk/socialsciences/adayinthelifecompetition

Please also include contact details for either yourself or your legal guardian.

The closing date for submissions for applicants from Liverpool is midnight Friday June 17th. 

10 finalists from each entry category will be invited with their families to the event on Wednesday July 13th during Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2022.

Winners will be announced on the day of the event – if you can’t be there on the day, please nominate someone to collect the award for you.

Prize money will be awarded either via bank transfer or cheque, or, if the applicant is claiming asylum, via a gift card.

22 at Open Eye Digital Window Gallery

22, the creative anthology commissioned by LAAF as a response to COP26 is to be exhibited at Open Eye’s Digital Window Gallery until 13 February.

22 is a creative anthology by Arab artists from 22 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Commissioned by Liverpool Arab Arts Festival as a rapid response to COP26, the artistic works include music, visual art, poetry, illustration and photography and highlight the disproportionate impact the climate crisis is having on the countries and communities living within the MENA region.

From water shortages to population displacement, changes in climate and failing crops, the impact of the climate crisis is worsened by the continuing hangovers of conflict and colonialism, meaning the issues already existing in the MENA region are exacerbated.

As global leaders gathered in Glasgow for COP26, each of the 22 artists provided an insight into how the climate crisis is affecting their community. As a creative anthology it creates a time capsule at a crucial moment in history.

Arab voices are not strongly heard within the climate crisis conversation in the West, despite the disproportionate and severe effects those on the ground are facing. Capturing the hopes and fears of a generation of Arab artists, 22 reflects the range of perceptions and preoccupations of those living in or with heritage of these specific Arab areas.

22 exhibits at Open Eye as the Look Climate Lab 2022 launches, ahead of the Look Photo Biennial 2022, the Climate Lab is a series of research projects on climate change. Read more here

The show will be played on the digital screen 11am-4pm Wed-Sun, between Wed 19 Jan – Sun 13 Feb

Explore 22 below

www.arabartsfestival.com/22project 

ARTISTS / IDEAS / NOW – Patriarchy and the Climate Crisis

Watch on YouTube

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival in collaboration with Creative Destruction has produced a series of online conversations titled ARTISTS / IDEAS / NOW. This series is part of LAAF’s four-month festival focused on the climate crisis, and invites leading creatives, activists and thinkers to explore the complexities surrounding the climate emergency.

This conversation looks at the connection between patriarchy and the climate crisis. How is the climate crisis impacting women and people of marginalised genders? Are there feminist solutions to the crisis – perhaps rooted in cultural traditions and practices which have been upended by consumerist habits? How can artists help illuminate the parallels between society’s  treatment of women and nature?

Watch here

The panel will be made up of artists who have contributed to the 22 project
Ala Buisir is a documentary photographer born in Ireland with Libyan roots. A graduate with a BA in Photography from TU Dublin. Then an MA in Journalism from DCU and currently doing a PhD by practice in UL. Her work documents the social and political tension around us today. The aim is to raise awareness by presenting events through different perspectives in hopes that it may also bring about change.Website: www.alabuisir.com
Juliana Yazbeck is an award-winning actor, writer & musical artist. As an actor, she is best known for her roles as Niqabi Ninja in Sara Sharaawi’s play Niqabi Ninja, Roza Salih in Glasgow Girls (National Theatre of Scotland) and Yara in the Emmy-winning series Shankaboot (BBC World Service).Juliana’s debut record SUNGOD was awarded PRS Foundation’s Women Make Music Award. Juliana recently played a sold-out show at London’s Electric Ballroom (2020). In 2019, Juliana played London’s ULU alongside Sudanese icon AlSarah, headlined the National Theatre River Stage and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, and was nominated for the Arab British Centre’s Award for Culture.Juliana also writes regularly. Her words feature in gal-dem magazine and on Medium.com.Twitter: @julianayaz
Maha Alasaker is a visual artist based in Kuwait. She is a 2014 graduate from the International Center of Photography.Through her artwork, Maha tries to gain a deeper understanding of herself while attempting to engage issues of culture and identity. Her curiosity centers around how a woman’s upbringing affects identity and self-worth.Maha’s projects have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in New York City and London, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Marie Claire and Rolling Stone have featured her work.In 2019, Maha published her first photo book, “Women of Kuwait”, which was then acquired by the Getty Research Institute and The Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

Join us for a Parent and Baby Dabke Workshop

We’re delighted to be hosting Sylvia and Zayd for Parent and Baby Dabke.

It’s free and will be held via Zoom. Anyone who wants to attend will have to sign up beforehand.

Come have fun and learn some basic Dabke steps for you and your little one. Whether you’re a parent or carer, it’s a perfect activity to do together, to get active, learn a new skill or just burn a little energy on a Saturday morning.

Dabke is a traditional Palestinian folkloric dance. This digital workshop will teach you some basic steps, and have a little fun. It’s designed especially for little ones and their parents, so no dance experience is required.

All ages welcome including sling babies.

Read more and sign up for the event here.

The Ahmed Family

How to ….make Lentil Soup

As Ramadan begins, our minds go back to LightNight 2019.

LightNight is an annual arts and culture festival in Liverpool, which sees hundreds of events take place in venues across the city centre. The free culture crawl sees thousands come onto the city’s streets to explore the work of artists, performers, producers, creatives and musicians.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and Liverpool Arabic Centre held a special event at Liverpool Town Hall, welcoming people into the Arab home, with culture and performance. With dancers and traditional food, it was an evening of celebration.

It was especially important as it took place during Ramadan, and we were privileged to be included in the breaking of the fast with our friends who came to the event. This is a time of year when we are so often together to break the fast, so it is difficult for those in isolation during this period.

Our friend, Neda, brought this lentil soup to share with us all. When we asked for the recipe, we received a video of the family making the soup for us, and we wanted to share it with everyone. It’s easy to follow and the ingreidents are also easy to find. If you want to add more to it, like perhaps chicken, you can.

Food brings us together. Watch below and try the recipe yourself. And thank to the Ahmed Family for welcoming us into their kitchen.

Food and recipes are an important part of every culture, Arab families have their own special recipes they share, favourite ingredients and ways of cooking. We’re hoping to bring a glimpse of more dishes cooked in Arab homes in the coming weeks.

This is just one of the films we have on our YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe to our playlists here.

Yasmin Ali

Yasmin Ali selected for OUTPUT gallery exhibition at LAAF 2019

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and OUTPUT gallery are delighted to announce that Yasmin Ali has been selected for a solo exhibition during the festival.

THIS IS ME. THIS IS US. THIS IS YOU.
Exhibition by Yasmin Ali

Evening reception: Thursday 4 July, 6-9pm
Free admission

This year, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival has teamed with OUTPUT gallery to platform a local artist and support them in producing a solo exhibition of their work here at the gallery. Selected from an open call, Yasmin Ali is an artist and curator of Somali heritage, born and raised in Liverpool. Her work focuses on the exploration and celebration of diverse identities. She works with a variety of mediums such as photography, poetry and film. This is Yasmin’s first exhibition with OUTPUT and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

OUTPUT gallery is accessible via four steps. A wheelchair ramp can be requested by pressing the bell outside our front door. OUTPUT shares bathroom facilities with the Kazimier Gardens next door who have recently fitted a wheelchair accessible bathroom that can be used during their opening hours. It also has an agreement with the Premier Inn for gallery visitors to use their accessible facilities.

32 Seel St, Liverpool, L1 4BE
Open 11am-6pm daily