Register here [1].
Artists collaborating across borders and languages with Felukah and Mudar Alhaggi & Omar Elerian of Collective Ma’louba
About this event
Shubbak’s [2] QFI-supported series of themed, interactive education webinars for children and young people aged 12+ highlight the creativity and innovation of Arab artists by offering an insight into the stimulating practices of contemporary artists.
Intercultural Journeys is the third in the series. Over 45 minutes three artists, rapper Felukah and from Collective Ma’louba theatre director, writer and dramaturg Omar Elerian and author, dramaturge and director Mudar Alhaggi will explore multilingual artistic practice, with particular focus on theatre and music, as a tool for advancing representation, diversity and inclusion in non-Arabic speaking societies.
Felukah deliberately uses Arabic language in her music exploring cultural issues through her verse, during the webinar she will explore why and to what end? Collective Maalouba’s play, ‘The Return of Danton’, was performed in Arabic to an English-speaking audience. How does the use of Arabic language in a (predominantly) English-speaking space change the dynamics of the performance and what the audience get from it?
The session asks – why do the artists use the Arabic language in their works? Does it foster intercultural understanding? And if so, how?
The webinar includes:
- Clips of their work and creating in action
- Live readings
- Live activities for students to join (all abilities)
- Live Q&A for students to ask questions
Hosted by Alia Alzougbi.
The webinar ties in across curriculum subjects: English Literature, Drama & Theatre Arts, PSHE & Citizenship, Humanities, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Modern Foreign Languages (Arabic).
- Suitable for KS3, KS4, Colleges, ESOL students, youth & community groups in the UK & internationally.
- Hosted on Zoom, following latest safeguarding guidelines
- Participants are encouraged to send over questions ahead of the session
- BSL interpretation available
What to expect
Participating students will:
- Get to know 3 inspirational Arab artists and how they use they weave in the Arabic language into their artwork in predominantly non-Arabic speaking spaces
- Engage in exciting activities, including using multiple languages in their art
- Have an opportunity to ask the artists questions about their art, where they get their inspiration from, and any career advice
Participating teachers will:
- gain new ideas for KS3 & KS4 classroom activities using Arabic hip hop and multi-lingual theatre.
- familiarise themselves with the work of the artists and their collaborators and how their artistic practice can stimulate classroom activities.
- bring a global perspective to the curriculum by exposing students to artists of colour
About:
Shubbak supports and champions the diversity of Arab artists’ creativity and innovation through its professional and engagement programmes, national touring and biennial multi-artform festival. Shubbak Festival is the UK’s largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture, bringing new and unexpected voices alongside established artists together in an ambitious programme that connects audiences and communities with contemporary Arab visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature and debate.
Hailing from Cairo to New York City, Felukah entered the music scene in 2018 with her neo-soul/hip-hop EP Yansoon. Felukah frequently code-switches between English and Arabic, exploring cultural issues and multiplicity in her verse. In 2019, Felukah released her debut mixtape Citadel with the help of her brother Malik in their Harlem home. She is dubbed by Scene Noise as “the neo-soul artist bringing the Nile to New York ” and by Azeema Magazine as “the rapper inspiring a new wave of Egyptian women”.
Mudar Alhaggi studied theatre studies at The Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damaskus. Alhaggi works as an author and dramaturge, he writes for the radio and TV, pens scripts and leads writing workshops for refugees. He staged Footfalls by Samuel Beckett and the production One Thousand and One Tents, which was developed in a workshop with refugees in Lebanon. In 2013 the production Now T-Here, in which he was involved as author and director (in collaboration with Stella Cristofolini) was presented in Oberhausen and Berlin. He has managed Future Stages: A Creative Programme for Emerging Syrian Writers in Lebanon together with Erik Altorfer. In 2015 and 2016 he developed 41 Stunden with Kopp / Nauer / Praxmarer / Vittinghoff, a co-production with Schlachthaus Theater Bern. With Erik Altorfer, he presented another work with adolescent refugees and young people from Graz at Schauspielhaus Graz. Mudar Alhaggi has lived in Berlin since summer 2015. He has been the Artistic Director of Collective Ma’louba since 2017.
Omar Elerian is a freelance theatre director, writer and dramaturg. Of Italian/Palestinian descent, Omar trained in Italy and then graduated from Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris in 2005. He’s been based in London since 2009. He was the resident Associate Director at the Bush Theatre from 2012 to 2019, where he commissioned and directed some of the theatre’s most successful shows. As sole director for the Bush, his credits include smash-hit Misty by Arinzé Kene (Bush and West End), NASSIM by Nassim Soleimanpour (Bush, Traverse Theatre and world tour), Going Through by Estelle Savasta and Islands by Caroline Horton. As Associate Director working alongside Madani Younis, his credits include The Royale by Marco Ramirez, Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock and Perseverance Drive by Robin Soans. Outside the Bush, he directed Olivier nominated show You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy by Caroline Horton and co-created acclaimed site-specific show The Mill: City of Dreams with Madani Younis for Freedom Studios. In 2020 he co-created Autoreverse with Florencia Cordeu, which opened the Going Global season at Battersea Arts Centre in February. Omar is currently developing projects with the Almeida, National Theatre, Manchester HOME, Staatstheater Mainz, Collective Ma’louba and The Shed in New York.
Alia Alzougbi is a leader in the creative and cultural industries, with significant experience in the education sector. She has worked closely with national and international organisations including the British Museum, the National Theatre, Clore Leadership and the British Council to create encounters that question cultural representation and inclusion in education and the arts.
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- Watch Unearthing Heritage [4], the first in the Shubbak and QFI webinar series for schools and young people.
- Watch Walk With Us [5], the second in the Shubbak and QFI webinar series for schools and young people.
- Sign up here [6] to be notified of future webinar announcements!
For further information or questions contact: info@shubbak.co.uk [7]