May 15, 2020

#MiznaAtHome: Curated List for Keeping Up with SWANA Culture During Lockdown

by Lamia Abukhadra | in Art

Mizna is pleased to share a curated list of resources from organizations around the world for keeping up with SWANA culture during lockdown. Take a look at current #MiznaAtHome programming which includes at home cinema, classes, online back issues of Mizna, and virtual readings. Stay tuned as we continue to schedule #MiznaAtHome programming through the summer!

Watch

Stream films, lectures, readings, and discussions from SWANA artists and cultural organizations around the world. See what Mizna’s past Twin Cities Arab Film Fest curators recommend to watch here.

• aflamuna: An initiative launched by a group of Arab filmmakers and film institutions, led by Beirut DC. Bringing you some of the best, most thought-provoking and independently-minded works of contemporary Arab cinema to enjoy for free on this website for a limited time, updated at least every two weeks.
• Reel Palestine Home Edition: A list of accessible Palestinian films to enjoy during this period of staying at home, for free and for rent. The list is updated regularly.
• Queer MENA Online Film Festival by Habibi Collective and ShakoMako: Presenting seven emerging filmmakers who tackle many important aspects of LGBTQ+ experience in the MENA region and diaspora, including narratives of ‘coming-out’, cross-dressing, religious oppression, cultural performance and polyamory. This online event runs May 18-24, 2020.
• Marfa’ Projects: Selection of Films from Beirut-based Rania Stephan, Ahmad Ghossein, and Lamia Joreige, available until June 2020.
• aashra: aashra is an open-access video streaming platform that makes available a rotating selection of 10 films and videos from Ashkal Alwan’s audiovisual archive and beyond.
• Ashkal Alwan’s audiovisual archive: Recently published for public use, the Ashkal Alwan archive (aaarchive) includes free films and performances, as well as recordings of previous editions of their Home Works Forum, Home Workspace Program lectures, and numerous seminars and talks held over the past two decades.
• Cinema Akil and Mubi: Cinema Akil, the first arthouse cinema in the Gulf Cooperation Council, has partnered with Mubi to offer a 90-day free movie streaming starting from April 2.

Listen

With the global lockdown, several grassroots online radios have emerged. Here is a list of our favorites from the SWANA region and creators.

• Hammam Radio: A feminist participatory project, launched from Berlin. Daily schedule posted on their Instagram page @hammamradio in Berlin time (GMT+2).
• Radio Al Hara: Radio Alhara emerges from Bethlehem and Ramallah in a time of isolation and boredom, a time where the future of the world as we know it remains unknown. Daily schedule posted on their Instagram @radioalhara in Palestine Time (GMT+3).
• Radio Karantina: Music, images and tales from isolation from Beirut to the rest of the world [and/or vice versa].” Soundcloud playlists from various SWANA cultural producers from Beirut and beyond, including Yasmine Hamdan.
• Radio Al Hai from Beirut, Lebanon.
• Radio El Houma from Tunis, Tunisia.
• Radio Qadimak Nadimak from Al-Qalamoun, Syria.
• Radio El Shams from Amman, Jordan.

Other listening resources:

• AFAC Screens and Streams: In light of the present unprecedented situation worldwide, The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture launches Screens and Streams, a program of AFAC-supported film and music works. While the film component is coming to an end, Screens and Streams also publishes playlists on Anghami and Spotify, composed of compilations of twenty AFAC-supported music tracks from ten albums.
• al empire Podcast: al empire is a Kerning Cultures Network production featuring exceptional Arabs around the world and their journeys to the top.

Read

Mophradat Online Library: Find texts that commissioned by Mophradat as subjects of interest to the organization, as part of an event, or as a way to engage exciting writers. A growing collection of texts in Arabic and English, check back every now and then for new additions.

During these uncertain times, support SWANA literature by purchasing books and literary journals featuring your favorite writers, attending online readings and discussions, and giving to literary organizations.

Cook

We’ve been cooking along with Minneapolis-based Palestinian chef Sameh Wadi on his new Instagram series Social Deliciousness. His Greek spiced lamb chops are highly recommended.

Visual/Virtual Art

• Internet of Things: Another World is Possible is an online exhibition by Darat Al Funun (Amman) facilitating a collective inquiry from (and through) the quarantine. Navigating online and offline; traversing temporalities. Curated by Firas Shehadeh, Joud Al-Tamimi, and Reem Marj.
• Virtual tour of A Century in Flux: Works come from the Barjeel Art Foundation’s extensive collection of modern Arab art, reflecting ways in which the region’s artists have responded to political events and the human condition over the tumultuous twentieth century. The exhibition addresses notions of institutional representation and, in particular, confronts the question of gender disparity in the art world and its influence on the writing and teaching of art history. Presented by Barjeel Art Foundation in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Museum.

Join in

• Dar Jacir: Dar Jacir regularly announces and holds screening parties, readings, and lectures often focused on contemporary Palestinian cultural production. Check their Facebook page for updates and links to join. Events are in Palestine timezone (GMT+3).
• Darat Al Funun: In conjunction with their online exhibition Internet of Things: Another World is Possible, Darat Al Funun presents workshops, close readings, screenings, lectures and more. Full schedule available here, events are in Amman timezone (GMT+3).
• Barjeel Foundation Online Cultural Majlis: Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi has taken his conversations with SWANA artists and cultural workers online. You can find announcements of upcoming conversations on Sultan Al Qassemi’s Instagram and watch past conversations here. Events are in scheduled in UAE timezone (GMT+4).
• Arab American National Museum: Online public programming includes film screenings, book clubs, chef series, and virtual iftar. Events are scheduled in EST.

For All Ages

Jaddaf Aloud Online: A virtual programme designed by Art Jameel to celebrate UAE creative talent and provide opportunities for audiences to bring creative DIY projects, music, performance, and food into your home. New content is being released daily: there is always something fun to do or explore!

Have a suggestion for this list? Email us at mizna@mizna.org

We’re working to learn how to continue to fulfill our mission to provide a platform for SWANA artists during this new reality, and we’re asking you to support our efforts if you are able. Please consider a tax-deductible donation today.