masahat - مساحات

From Nakba to Liberation
2024-09-20 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Oslo) | Melahuset, Mariboes gate 8, Oslo, 0183, Norway
As the world watches in horror at the unfolding genocide in Gaza—where over 40,000 lives have been brutally taken—the Palestinian people, along with millions of allies who champion freedom, justice, and dignity, are at a pivotal crossroads. The urgency to shift from despair to a focused, strategic movement for liberation has never been greater.
But how do we turn this urgency into reality? Can liberation be more than a distant dream? What shape could it take, and what tangible steps can we, as a global community, take to achieve it?
Join us for a keynote that delves deep into these questions, drawing from extensive studies of successful liberation movements throughout history. Through a powerful blend of historical insights and a keen analysis of the current ground realities in Palestine, this session will illuminate the path forward for the global movement striving to end the genocide and achieve true liberation.
Be part of this crucial conversation—one that has the potential to shape the future of a people and a movement.

The BDS movement
2024-09-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Kunstnernes Hus, Wergelandsveien 17, Oslo, 0167, Norway
Strategies of resistance – the legacy and outlook of the BDS movement
How can we work together to push our institutions to take a solid stance against Israel’s occupation? Masahat invites to a talk and panel discussion of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) as a tool of resistance in arts and academia.
The BDS movement has lately gained momentum worldwide but has also faced harsh backlash. Cultural and academic institutions serve as a backbone of Israel’s strategy of normalizing occupation. By partnering with and maintaining relationships with these institutions, Western organizations and donors become complicit in the continuous injustices committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.
PROGRAM

10:00-10:15 Serving of light breakfast
10:15-10:45 Talk by Layal Ftouni
10:45-11:30 Panel discussion and Q&A
11:30-12:00 Informal discussion and mingling

In her talk, Dr. Layal Ftouni (Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Critical Theory, Utrecht University) will discuss the question of Palestine as the limit case of academic freedom and the struggle for justice that academic institutions claim to defend . Drawing on her extensive experience in BDS activism in the Netherlands and other academic contexts, Ftouni will address the significance of boycott and divestment as strategies of resistance, and in the context of debates on academic freedom, decolonization, and neoliberalism. Moreover, she will reflect on the legacies of the BDS movement drawing parallels to the South African boycott movement.
Following the talk, a panel of invited academics and cultural workers who have been actively involved in pushing their institutions to take a stance against Israel to reflect on their experiences and the way forward:
–Ayman Alazraq (filmmaker, photographer, and mixed-media artist)
–Jassem el Hindi (Artist and choreographer)
–Hege Hermansen (Professor of Education, Oslo Metropolitan University) Moderators:
–Nora Milch (PhD researcher, University of Oslo)
–Sarah Kazmi (Interdisciplinary artist and a writer)

Artists and Liberation
2024-09-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Loft, Kjeld Stubs gate 3, Oslo, 0160, Norway
The genocide in Gaza has exposed the complicity of our cultural and academic institutions in zionism and related colonial ideologies of extermination, extraction and unlawful accumulation of wealth. Artists have contributed to a growing vanguard global movement in solidarity for Palestine and too many have paid the price for their principled stance against oppression. Nonetheless, artists and cultural producers continue to use their voices as well as their creative commitments to challenge cultural institutions and expose their complicity.
In this conversation with Farah Azrak and Hamed Sinno, moderated by Rana Issa, we will discuss the responsibility and necessity of art in a world descending towards authoritarianism, the difficulties of meaning making in times of genocide, and the problematics of yoking politics to art.

This event is in collaboration with Kunstnerforbundet.

Please note that Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Loft is on the 4th floor, and regrettably not accessible for people with limited mobility. A long-term rehabilitation of the building is in process. Please get in touch if you have questions about accessibility.

Harnessing SWANA Diaspora Power
2024-09-19 16:00 - 18:30 | Sentralen, Øvre Slottsgate 3, Oslo, 0157, Norway
In this pivotal discussion, we will dive deep into how our diaspora communities can strategically leverage their power, not only to advance the cause of Palestinian liberation but to lay the foundation for a stronger, freer region for all our peoples. Throughout history, diaspora communities have been at the forefront of transformative liberation movements. With the rise of a new generation of activists and voices, now is the time to hone our strategies, sharpen our tactics, and organize with purpose to build real, enduring power.
What is happening in Palestine puts us at the brink of igniting a wider movement that has the potential to reshape the future of the entire region. This isn’t just about solidarity; it’s about mobilizing our collective strength to dismantle the systems of oppression that hold us back and to chart a new course toward freedom and justice.
Join us for this essential conversation, where we will tap into the immense potential of the Arab and SWANA diaspora community in Norway. Together, we will share insights, engage in strategic thinking, and undergo training that will empower us to reclaim our power, break the chains of oppression, and build a brighter, liberated future for all our peoples.
What is happening in Palestine puts us at the brink of igniting a wider movement that has the potential to reshape the future of the entire region. This isn’t just about solidarity; it’s about mobilizing our collective strength to dismantle the systems of oppression that hold us back and to chart a new course toward freedom and justice.
Join us for this essential conversation, where we will tap into the immense potential of the Arab/MENA/SWANA diaspora community in Norway. Together, we will share insights, engage in strategic thinking, and undergo training that will empower us to reclaim our power, break the chains of oppression, and build a brighter, liberated future for all our peoples.

Grief and Activism: How not to Burn Out
2024-09-19 14:30 - 16:00 | Sentralen, Øvre Slottsgate 3, Oslo, 0157, Norway
How do we support ourselves and each other in pain and loss, in ways that minimize our risk of drowning in it and taking it out on each other? I want to offer a 90-minute session for humble exploration of how we can live and work kindly and creatively with our grief, fear, anger and feelings of helplessness and guilt. The session is an experimental combination of workshop and ceremony structured around 5 of my songs, with suggestions for individual inquiries and mutual sharing in the spaces between them.
Let’s co-create a space with room to listen and reflect, feel and contain, flow and ground. Bring something to write with and on, your grieving, your wisdom and your questions and be welcome.

Investigating war crimes using digital evidence
2024-09-19 14:30 - 16:00 | Sentralen, Øvre Slottsgate 3, Oslo, 0157, Norway
This workshop will discuss the best practices for digital investigation and how they can be incorporated in investigating war crimes today. We will explore the topics such as verification o social media content, using satellite images and other investigative methods. Participants will be tasked with investigative cases they will attempt to solve.
The workshop will take place in English but Arabic and Norwegian will also be spoken.
Register | للتسجيل

Independent Media in Authoritarian Setting
2024-09-19 12:00 - 13:00 | PRIO, Hausmanns gate 3 , Oslo, 0186, Norway
Since the advent of the Arab Spring, mainstream media in Egypt and the Arab world has become an organ for state power to control public access to news, often spreading propaganda and misinformation but also functioning as a safety valve for public disgruntlement. Alternative media like Mada Masr and others have been at the forefront of challenging state propaganda and the increasing irrelevance of mainstream media as a trustworthy source of news. As a result, the state has cracked down on journalists through constant harassment and imprisonment of journalists to spread an atmosphere of fear around the work of a free press.
In this conversation with publisher of Mada Masr, Lina Atallah, and media expert and professor of Arabic Jacob Høigilt, we will learn more about the current conditions of the Egyptian press, the challenges that face journalists committed to the truth.

Palestinian Hospitality
2024-09-19 - 2024-09-22
Norsk

English

Palestinian Hospitality er en kombinert aktivistisk intervention, delegert performance og audioguide som henter inspirasjon fra utstillinga Palestinske kunstnere arrangert av The Plastic Arts Section P.L.O og Kunstnernes Hus i 1981. Her ble 16 palestinske kunstnere stilt ut, blant andre Samia Halaby, Mona Saudi og Mustafa Al-Hallajt. I intervjuer trekker de palestinske kunstnere fram hvor viktig samholdet med norske kunstnere var i prosessen med utstillinga. Halaby ønsket etter endt opphold å donere arbeidene sine til den norske arbeiderklassen som takk, mens Saudi tok kontakt med FN for å forære en skulptur.*
Tittelen Palestinian Hospitality springer ut av et intervju med Halaby gjort i 2024 på vegne av Fiksdal og Siljeholm. Halaby, som bor og arbeider i USA, fikk nylig kansellert en soloutstilling ved Indiana University, en utstilling som skulle ha vært 87-åringens første retrospektiv i USA: “Clearly the intent is to suppress Palestinian voices at this very time.”** I kontekst av Masahat 2024 får publikum møte Samia Halaby i kunsten, politikkens og revolusjonens tjeneste.

*Kilde: Kunstnernes Hus arkiv på Nasjonalmuseet**Samia Halaby til Hyperallergic, 11.1.24
Palestinian Hospitality is a combined intervention, delegated performance and audio guide that draws inspiration from the exhibition Palestinian Artists organized by The Plastic Arts Section P.L.O and Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, in 1981. Here 16 Palestinian artists were exhibited, among others Samia Halaby, Mona Saudi and Mustafa Al -Hallaj. In interviews, they emphasize how important the collaboration with Norwegian artists was in the process of the exhibition. After her stay, Halaby wanted to donate her works to the Norwegian working class as a thank you, whilst Saudi contacted the UN to donate a sculpture.*
The title Palestinian Hospitality springs from an interview with Halaby conducted in 2024 on behalf of Fiksdal and Siljeholm. Halaby, who lives and works in the USA, recently had a solo exhibition canceled at Indiana University, an exhibition that would have been the 87-year-old’s first retrospective in the USA: “Clearly the intent is to suppress Palestinian voices at this very time.”** In the context of Masahat 2024, the public gets to meet Samia Halaby in the service of art, politics and revolution.
*Source: Kunstnernes Hus’ archive at the National Museum, Oslo.**Samia Halaby to Hyperallergic, 11.1.24
Palestinian Hospitality er en kombinert aktivistisk intervention, delegert performance og audioguide som henter inspirasjon fra utstillinga Palestinske kunstnere arrangert av The Plastic Arts Section P.L.O og Kunstnernes Hus i 1981. Her ble 16 palestinske kunstnere stilt ut, blant andre Samia Halaby, Mona Saudi og Mustafa Al-Hallajt. I intervjuer trekker de palestinske kunstnere fram hvor viktig samholdet med norske kunstnere var i prosessen med utstillinga. Halaby ønsket etter endt opphold å donere arbeidene sine til den norske arbeiderklassen som takk, mens Saudi tok kontakt med FN for å forære en skulptur.*
Tittelen Palestinian Hospitality springer ut av et intervju med Halaby gjort i 2024 på vegne av Fiksdal og Siljeholm. Halaby, som bor og arbeider i USA, fikk nylig kansellert en soloutstilling ved Indiana University, en utstilling som skulle ha vært 87-åringens første retrospektiv i USA: “Clearly the intent is to suppress Palestinian voices at this very time.”** I kontekst av Masahat 2024 får publikum møte Samia Halaby i kunsten, politikkens og revolusjonens tjeneste.

*Kilde: Kunstnernes Hus arkiv på Nasjonalmuseet**Samia Halaby til Hyperallergic, 11.1.24
Palestinian Hospitality is a combined intervention, delegated performance and audio guide that draws inspiration from the exhibition Palestinian Artists organized by The Plastic Arts Section P.L.O and Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, in 1981. Here 16 Palestinian artists were exhibited, among others Samia Halaby, Mona Saudi and Mustafa Al -Hallaj. In interviews, they emphasize how important the collaboration with Norwegian artists was in the process of the exhibition. After her stay, Halaby wanted to donate her works to the Norwegian working class as a thank you, whilst Saudi contacted the UN to donate a sculpture.*
The title Palestinian Hospitality springs from an interview with Halaby conducted in 2024 on behalf of Fiksdal and Siljeholm. Halaby, who lives and works in the USA, recently had a solo exhibition canceled at Indiana University, an exhibition that would have been the 87-year-old’s first retrospective in the USA: “Clearly the intent is to suppress Palestinian voices at this very time.”** In the context of Masahat 2024, the public gets to meet Samia Halaby in the service of art, politics and revolution.
*Source: Kunstnernes Hus’ archive at the National Museum, Oslo.**Samia Halaby to Hyperallergic, 11.1.24
Date and time:

19 Sept, 15:30 to 17:00 (full)
21 Sept 11:00 to 12:30 (full)
22 Sept 11:00 to 12:30 (full)
22 Sept 15:30 to 17:00 (full)

Venue: Secret location in the City Center (Location will be sent to participants upon registration for the event)
Sold out
Palestinian Hospitality er et bestillingsverk for Mashat festivalen 2024 og del av Fiksdal og Siljeholms arbeid mot en større performativ utstilling på Kunstnernes Hus høsten 2025.

Åpningsfest med DJ Daeva
2024-09-18 21:30 - 23:00 | Nordic Black Theater, Hollendergata 8, Oslo, 0190, Norway
Etter åpningskonserten på Jakob kirke, skal vi sparke i gang årets festival med åpningsfest på Nordic Black Theatre.
Med den legendariske DJ Daeva inviterer vi publikum til et eventyr av lyd og bevegelse på tvers av alle syv kontinenter.
Nasim, også kjent som Daeva, er en Oslo-basert DJ og kunstner født og oppvokst i Teheran. Siden 2004 har Daeva vært en fremtredende figur på Oslos klubb- og festivalscene, med opptredener på steder som Cosmopolite, Nobel Peace Center, Blå, Oslo Pride, Nasjonalmuseet, Riksscenen, Munchmuseet. I tillegg har Daeva spilt på internasjonale klubbscener i land som som Sverige, Belgia og Frankrike.
Vi gleder oss, og det er gratis inngang!

Masahat 2024 åpningskonsert: Nai Barghouti
2024-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Grønland kirke, Grønlandsleiret 34, Oslo, 0190, Norway
The renowned Palestinian artist Nai Barghouti will open Masahat festival 2024. Join us for an evening of grief, hope and joy at Grønland Kirke on the 18th of September.
Nai will perform a curated concert dedicated to Gaza.
Wednesday, 18 September at Grønland Kirke

18:00 doors open
19:00 concert starts

Unheard: An Evening of Grief and Hope
Nai states: “For those whose voices are unheard, whose faces are unseen, who are reduced to numbers, and whose very existence is erased from “the narrative”. They are not numbers. They have faces, names and voices. They had dreams that have now come to an end. They are loved and cherished by many who will forever miss them. For all of those, particularly for the children of Gaza, we dedicate this evening of grief, hope, and even joy. We grieve the beautiful souls of those we’ve lost, and we hope for justice, for freedom, for dignity, for real peace for those who are still surviving, still seeking safety, and still dreaming despite the overwhelming, unspeakable horror. My voice is but an echo of yours.”
Nai Barghouti is an award-winning Palestinian singer, composer and flutist. From her first concerts in Ramallah and Cairo at the age of 14 through her packed concerts at the London Jazz Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, the United Nations in New York and in renowned theaters in Paris, Washington, Istanbul, Amsterdam, London, Casablanca, Rabat, Kuwait and Beirut, the Jerusalem-born artist has been praised as a “classical diva”and an“exceptional virtuosa.”
Nai will perform with:

Tony Roe (Piano)
Khalil Khoury (Qanun)
Ruven Ruppik (Percussions)
Diego Alvaraz (Bass Guitar)

For Palestine: Vernissasje + Boklansering
2024-09-18 17:00 - 18:00 | Kunsthall Oslo, Rostockgata 2-4, Oslo, 0191, Norway
Posters for Palestine
Posters for Palestine viderefører et italiensk initiativ der kunstnere, designere og illustratører lager plakater til støtte for Gaza. Plakatene lanseres med en salgsutstilling under Masahatfestivalen 18. september på Kunsthall Oslo. Alle inntekter går uavkortet til den palestinske kunst- og kulturorganisasjonen Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. Prosjektet er en solidaritetsaksjon med det palestinske folket.
Deltagere: Adel Tawil, Vanessa Baird, Mari Kanstad Johnsen, Kim Hiorthøy, Christa Barlinn Korvald, Christopher Nielsen, Marie Payan, Espen Friberg, Martin Lundell og Anders Kvammen.

Boklansering
Boklansering av antologien «Tunga mi protesterer mot døden» med dikt skrevet av palestinske poeter bosatt i Palestina og diasporaen.

Mini Masahat
2024-09-08 11:00 - 16:30 | Tøyen Torg, Hagegata 28, Oslo, 0653, Norway
نرحب بكم في مساحات للصغار يوم الأحد ٨ أيلول في توين تورغ! انضموا إلينا في ميني مساحات – يوم للصغار واليافعين والعائلات يحتفل بالثقافة واللغة العربية من خلال الموسيقى وورش العمل الفنية والرقص والمرح وفقرة الحكواتي والأفلام والطعام وغيرها الكثير من النشاطات! الدخول مجاني ومتاح للجميع! Velkommen til Mini Masahat på Tøyen Torg 8. september 2024! Bli med på Mini Masahat – en dag for alle barn, unge og familier der vi feirer arabisk kultur med dans, moro, musikk, lek, kunstverksteder, fortellingstund, film, mat og mye mer! Gratis inngang, og åpent for alle! Takk til Sparebankstiftelsen DNB som gjør dette mulig.
Program البرنامج
Tøyen Deichman Hovedscenen
11:00-16:30 Art & craft – تلوين وأعمال يدوية
11:45-12:30 Dabkeh verksted – ورشة دبكة
13:00-15:30 Tatreez & te – تطريز & شاي
15:30-16:00 Sultannens Son – عرض ابن السلطان
Tøyen Torg
13:45-16:30 Mosaic verksted – ورشة موزاييك
14:00-14:30 Flying Seagulls sirkus – سيرك النوارس الطائرة
Tøyen Deichman Amfi
12:30-13:00 Det er morsomt å lære arabisk! + fortellerstund – قراءة قصة «البطيخة» مع رانيا وفقرة نتعلم عربي ونمرح
Tøyen Biblo
13:00-14:30 Tårnet film Q&A med Mads Grorud (10-15 år) – فيلم البرج

Tatreez workshop

Mosaic workshop with Alice Davies

Flying Seagulls

Artbuild with Farah

Film

Sultanens Sønn

Om Mini Masahat
I år lanserer vi den første utgaven av Mini Masahat (8. september) som en oppvarming for Masahatfestivalen (18. – 22. september) med fokus på å være en arena for barn, unge og familier som ønsker å oppleve arabisk kunst og kultur.Siden temaet for Masahatfestivalen (18. – 22. sept) er “Protest”, har Mini Masahat som mål å fremme ungdomsaktivisme gjennom kunst. Dagen er bygget rundt en kunstparade som ledes av den syriske scenekunstneren Farah Azrak den 21. september. Kunstverkstedet som skjer 8. september vil sette fokus på å lage masker og materialer til kunstparaden.

Ytringsrommet og krigen i Gaza
2023-11-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
Freedom of Expression and the War in Gaza
The Fritt Ord Foundation, Masahat for Arab Culture in Exile, and Vega Scene cordially invite the public to a conversation on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Vega Scene in Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo.
Amund Bakke Foss, chief advisor in the foreign news section at the newspaper VG, will moderate a conversation with Jumana Manna, an artist based in Berlin, Nadim Khoury, an associate professor at the Department of Law, Philosophy and International Studies, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sarah Lookofsky, artistic director at Kunstnernes Hus, Jon Martin Larsen, senior lecturer in journalism at Kristiania University College and commentator for the media website M24, and Nikolai Melamed Kleivan, reporting manager and journalist at the newspaper Morgenbladet.
Following Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military invasion, we are witnessing in Gaza the bloodiest war in our time.
The war is having severe consequences for human rights and freedom of expression. The right to express oneself, to protest, show anger and frustration, take an anti-war stance, to distance oneself from the violence, and show solidarity with those who suffer, is leading to new confrontations, persecutions and bans.
Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and inside Israel are being persecuted and punished for their words by the Israeli authorities and their supporters. Jewish Israeli activists also face sanctions when they criticize Israel’s warfare. The pursuit of free speech involves arrests, interrogations, and warnings. Social media, including past posts, are monitored for signs that people are supporting the Palestinian side. In recent weeks, many Palestinian citizens in Israel have been suspended from universities and fired from their jobs.
In Germany and France, pro-Palestinian demonstrations and shows of solidarity have been met with bans, arrests and violence. Accusations of anti-Semitism against Palestinian cultural workers, artists and academics have resulted in smear campaigns, the cancellation of exhibitions, and terminations of employment in several European cities. At the same time, there are reports of an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, the USA and Norway. The discursive climate of communication in the USA is also being strongly influenced by the war.
Reporting on the war in Gaza has proven to be challenging and dangerous due to the total lack of safe places to work. Roughly 40 journalists and media workers have been killed, and the lack of physical access to the Gaza Strip and the war zone creates fertile ground for propaganda from both parties. A large generation of young people is discovering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the first time through social media images and videos. When they turn their attention to the edited media, they find a dissonance between editor-led mainstream media and social media.
In this conversation, we will discuss the challenges facing mainstream media; what it is like to be an Arab, Muslim and Jew, living through this war; anti-Semitism; cancellations; censorship and self-censorship in institutions; as well the double standards reflected in foreign policy – in Norway and internationally.
The conversation will also feature certain individuals and organizations invites to give short interventions during the event, including Bergdis Joelsdottir, director of Policy at Amnesty International Norway, who is currently mapping the restrictions on freedom of expression in Europe as well as tech giants’ restrictions in light of the war.
The event will conclude with a dialogue with the audience, followed by soup and open discussion until 9 p.m.
Register to the event

Coping with racism: Applied drama workshop
2023-11-25 11:30 - 14:30 | Nordic Black Theater, Hollendergata 8, Oslo, 0190, Norway
Welcome to “Coping with racism & building resilience – Applied drama workshop” with Mona Abdel-Fadil on Saturday 25 November, 11:30-14:30 at Nordic Black Theater.
How do we cope with the various types of racist encounters that shape our lives?
We live in precarious times. Racist ideas may get entangled in war propaganda, media framing, public debates, and our everyday lives. We may feel that some lives are considered more valuable than others, and more worthy of either celebration, embracing, or even mourning. In this workshop we explore methods of improvised theatre (impro) and applied drama as tools to cope with racist experiences, microaggressions and emotional triggers.
Since the devastating and ongoing bombing of Palestinian civilians is a reality that affects many of us deeply – this event can provide a safe space to work through our emotions and emotional triggers, through humor, impro, and theatrical techniques.
Event details

Instruction language: English or Norwegian (depending on the group). Comments and contributions in Arabic are also welcome.
Free event. No registration necessary, Drop in.
We will start by serving a light brunch with soft drinks with Manaeesh (Syrian savory pies)
The workshop will be interactive so be prepared to immerse yourself in drama techniques.

What you can expect

A safe space where you can both share experiences and give one another emotional support.
To be introduced to ways of coping with experiences with racism, through applied drama, and counselling methods such as roleplay and playback.
Practice our ability to both listen to, understand one another’s perspectives, and verbalize and show support for one another.
Introduction to humor and impro- exercises as a coping method and a means of diffusion of tension (comic relief).

The techniques and focus will be adjusted to the size of the group and what appear to be the most pressing issues at hand.
Mona Abdel-Fadil is an Egyptian-Norwegian diversity trainer, counsellor, researcher, improviser, and comedy performer. She is currently developing applied drama workshops and tools that help participants cope with: racism, trauma, and exclusion through humour and improvised theatre. At present, Mona Abdel-Fadil is a researcher at The Norwegian Centre for Holocaust and Minority Studies. She is also one of the curators of the contemporary and research-based exhibition In/Visible: Everyday Racism in Norway.

Decolonize the Gaze with Orwa Nyrabia
2023-09-24 16:00 - 18:00 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
Decolonizing the documentary has been a recurring theme at IDFA, the world’s largest documentary film festival, since Orwa Nyrabia became the Artistic Director in 2018. Under his leadership, the festival has been tackling the difficult questions of representation, equity and inclusion.
Who has the power to represent and narrate? How can arts and cultural institutions challenge hegemonic powers, amplify marginalized voices and foster a more equitable and representative cultural landscape?
In this conversation, we ask Orwa Nyrabia to talk about his experience and vision leading IDFA. Afterwards, he will be joined by Anne Szefer Karlsen to continue the discussion on the critical role major festivals and established cultural institutions can play in reshaping the cultural narrative, acknowledging historical injustices, and embracing diversity and inclusion.

This event is in collaboration with Mirage, Human IDFF, Oslo Dokumentarkino and Fritt Ord foundation.
This conversation is part of Masahat Screens where we spend the last day of Masahat festival at VEGA Scene.

Masahat Screens Program:
PART I: Bloody Beans. Buy tickets HERE.

14:30-16:00: Bloody Beans (2013, 80 mins) dir. Narimane Mari

PART II: Conversation + short films. Buy tickets HERE.

16:00-17:15: Decolonize the Gaze with Orwa Nyrabia in conversation with Anne Szefer Karlsen
17:15-18:00: Mingling + finger food with Orwa Nyrabia and Masahat Screens guests
18:00-19:00: Litanies against fear (55 mins), a short films program curated and introduced by Maha Maamoun.

Masahat Screens
2023-09-24 14:30 - 19:00 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
Masahat Screens
Join us on the last day of Masahat festival for a thought-provoking and inspiring Sunday at VEGA Scene with film screenings, conversations, mingling and more.
The day starts with the screening of Bloody Beans (2013, 80 mins) directed by Narimane Mari, which won the top prize at the prestigious documentary festival CPH:DOX. In her hybrid documentary, Mari experiments with how children can appropriate a complex history while they try to reenact the colonization and the Algerian War of Independence.
Later in the day, we will have Orwa Nyrabia, Artistic Director of IDFA, as our main guest at Masahat Screens. Under the title “Decolonize the Gaze”, Nyrabia will talk about his vision and work at IDFA since he became the Artistic Director in 2018, then he will be joined by Anne Szefer Karlse to continue the conversation and discuss how major festivals and cultural institutions can address the questions of representation, equity and inclusion.
We then end the day with a short films program curated and introduced by Maha Maamoun.
Program

PART I: Bloody Beans. Buy tickets HERE.

14:30-16:00: Bloody Beans (2013, 80 mins) dir. Narimane Mari

PART II: Conversation + short films. Buy tickets HERE.

16:00-17:15: Decolonize the Gaze with Orwa Nyrabia in conversation with Anne Szefer Karlsen
17:15-18:00: Mingling + finger food with Orwa Nyrabia and Masahat Screens guests
18:00-19:00: Litanies against fear (55 mins), a short films program curated and introduced by Maha Maamoun

Bloody Beans
(Loubia Hamra) Narimane Mari I France, Algeria | 2013 | 77 min
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
Already an established producer before she turned to directing, Narimane Mari is part of an exciting wave of experimental cinema coming from Algeria. Her debut feature, Bloody Beans, won the top prize at the prestigious documentary festival CPH:DOX, though to call it merely a “documentary” is reductive: described in Film Comment as an “expressionistic hybrid,” Mari’s film is a comedy, a tragedy about the past, and a portrait of colonialism in the present. Shot over nine days, with limited rehearsals and almost no reshoots, Mari’s film is set at some unspecified point during Algeria’s War of Independence, and explores the legacy of France’s brutal 132-year occupation of the country through the eyes and energies of children from the Bab El Oued and Bologhine neighborhoods of Algiers. The results are less “kids say the darndest things” than something akin to an hallucinatory experience, the surreal atmosphere aided by a score from Zombie Zombie.

Litanies against fear
A short films program curated by Maha Maamoun.
An anxiety runs deep in these films. It animates the bodies of the protagonists circumambulating their phantom homes and this film program. Contemporary experiences of separation from home-be they physical or psychological experiences, find their roots and resonances in narratives of forced displacement, colonialism and rising fascisms old and new.

Only When All the Poison Has Gone (The Healing of Emily Ruete) (2023, 18 min) dir. Doa Aly

Only when all the poison has gone (The healing of Emily Ruete) is an audio-video installation based on the memoirs and letters of Emily Ruete, born Salamah bint Said bin Sultan, Princess of Oman and Zanzibar (1844-1924), as introduced by E. Van Donzel in An Arabian Princess Between Two Worlds: Memoirs, Letters Home, Sequels to the Memoirs, Syrian Customs and Usages. Emily/Salamah was prevented from returning to her homeland after eloping with a German merchant. This film seeks to turn the unconscious processes in Emily’s writing into a conscious awareness of movement, through choreography, to create an immersive field of healing feminine energy, a meditation, using her character as an effigy in a cathartic experience, for and by her.

30KG Shine (2017, 20 mins) dir. Shadi Habib Allah

30KG Shine (2017) is a video installation that examines various states of existence-object, body and spirit – and how they exchange roles and share enmeshed forms of agency. Paying homage to a 1930s urban myth about a ghost that haunted the Old City of Jerusalem, the film records how an elderly woman, currently living where the fable is set, secures her home and family heritage by leading life in confined quarters, often at the expense of her own livelihood and health. The work also features footage of a ‘tunnel cemetery’ being constructed to house 22,000 displaced corpses; these bodies claim presence and ownership of the place where they will lie.

Capital (2023, 17 mins) dir. Basma al-Sherif

Referencing the Italian “white telephone” films of the late 1930s and 40s, that were considered as precursors to fascist propaganda films, al-Sherif’s latest film reflects on the grotesque via a purview of contemporary urban planning projects and their promise of comfort and docility.

How to love a Homeland Reading Circle
2023-09-24 12:00 - 14:00 | Anarres Bokkafé, Urtegata 39, Oslo, 0187, Norway
Welcome to this reading circle + brunch at Anarres Bokkafé! We will serve a sweet-salty brunch dish that is a speciality of Aleppo, while we are reading thought-provoking literature, discussing and learning from each other.
Our reading circle format is simple: we share the reading material with you beforehand. In the circle, we ask our guests to read excerpts or summarize an article before we open up for discussion.
In this reading circle we will start with queer Palestinian novelist and film lover, Raji Bathish and his translator Suneela Mubayi for a short reading from Raji’s work. Raji is at the forefront of experimental writing in Palestine and the Arab world, and he will share with us excerpts from his novels that will shake our fundamental paradigms of thinking about Palestine.
Maha Maamoun is one of the founders of the niche publisher Kayfa ta, of Russian philosopher Oxana Timofeeva’s pamphlet, How to Love a Homeland. In this philosophic exercise in critical thinking, Timofeeva explores the difficulty of reducing one’s sense of homeland to one’s country alone, the philosophical interconnectedness of movement and rootedness, our plant and animal souls, and how we need to reimagine our desired, fictional if need be, homelands.

Reading material

Slavic Bodies by Raji Bathish, translated by Suneela Mubayi
Fifty Shekels by Raji Bathish
Excerpt from How to love a homeland? by Oxana Timofeeva, re-published at Mada Masr (2022)

We love the intimacy of our reading circles, and the discussion depths we get into together. For this year, we have two hours to enjoy our Syrian breakfast and thought-provoking literature. Join us and be in the community to discuss and learn from each other!

Leila Moon (DJ set) / Blå
2023-09-23 23:00 - 2023-09-24 03:00 | BLÅ, Brenneriveien 9c, Oslo, 0182, Norway
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Leila Moon is an international DJ, resident at radio Alhara, producer and coach. She mixes her favorite tracks of various genres, capturing her current mood and state of mind. Her North African heritage has influenced all of her work and can‘t go unrecognized during her performance.
Specializing in Drum and Bass, UK Bass, and breaks, her sets are a captivating blend of genres that keep audiences hooked. Inspired by the rhythmic nuances of Raï and Mahraganat, Leila Moon infuses her mixes with a magnetic blend of bass and rhythms.

Buy tickets | لشراء البطاقات

Haya Zaatry (solo concert) / Blå
2023-09-23 22:30 - 23:00 | BLÅ, Brenneriveien 9c, Oslo, 0182, Norway
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Haya Zaatry’s musical origins stem from acoustic folk, blending with Arabic musical inflections, imbibed in the cities that nurtured her: Nazareth and Haifa.
A self- taught musician and practicing architect, Zaatry began her musical career with the much lauded “Manakir” (nail varnish) in 2013, which was featured in 2021 on the Netflix “AlRawabi School For Girls”.
Her debut album “Rahawan” which addresses intimacies of memory, space, gender and time, was released in 2022, bringing with it North African influences of electric guitars and groovy flows, while reverberating the warmth of the indigenous sounds of Haya’s surroundings through percussions, modal inflections and original field recordings turning spaces of memory into musical markers.
Inspired by Haya Zaatry’s great-great grandmother’s surname, Rahawan is an album transcending the complicated threads of history, time and geography and paying tribute to generations of mothers and matriarchs.
Nazira Rahawan (1972-1890) who lends her name to the album was born and raised in Damascus (Syria) and lived between Nazareth and Haifa (Palestine). Nazira was the last person within Haya’s family who lived and roamed the land freely, before the forceful imposition of man made borders.
The album is conceptually designed to reclaim a sense of freedom and belonging which Haya Zaatry herself never had the chance to experience.
This concert is in collaboration with AFAC and the Palestinian Committee in Norway.

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Al Rosanna Dinner
2023-09-23 18:00 - 22:00 | Hos Arne, Gøteborggata 27B, OSLO, 0566, Norway
Al Rosanna Dinner: A Levantine culinary odyssey

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What does Ibsen’s “Terje Vigen” poem have to do with Al Rosanna and the great famine of Lebanon (1915-1918)? How does food history contribute to our grand national narratives? Can recipes, food stories, and memories offer an alternative view to our national imagination? Can we think of the recipes we use and the food we eat as a way to consider how our pasts and futures are connected beyond borders and nation states?
These questions and the stories around them are the backdrop of our dinner.
Join us at Al Rosanna Dinner for a unique culinary journey that transcends time and space. Step into a world of exquisite flavors as we sail in memory from Røst in north Norway all the way to Beirut to experience the rich heritage of the Levant.
Al Rosanna Dinner will serve you history, flavors, aromas and melodies from Norway, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Iraq. Palestinian chef Thurayya Alkury and Norwegian author and cook Andreas Delsett present their own interpretation of the myths of Al Rosanna and Terje Vigen.

Your ticket includes:

Six-course dinner
Food weaved with storytelling and music
Meeting and mingling with Masahat festival guests*
Entrance to solo concert by Haya Zaatry + club night (DJ Set) by Leila Moon ++ at Blå following the dinner
Print-out of a medieval recipe, retrieved from one of the earliest cook books in history

Menu

Baghdad: Cheese Boreg – savory pastry with side of bitter orange jam
Beirut: Yalanji – wrapped grape leaves with fresh herbs
Røst: Fish and grain snack
Aleppo: Fattet Makdous – layered eggplant with crisp bread, minced lamb meat, yogourt and pomegranate sauce
Safad: Walnut Kullaj – sweet pastry served with dried apricot pure
Back in the times: surprise medieval dish
Bring your own drink!

The name of the dinner is inspired by Al Rosana, a popular Levantine folk song which has been recorded over and over by some of the greatest Arab artists of the 20th century, each giving it a unique flavor. The origins of the story of the song are conflicting and intertwined.
We were mostly inspired by Nur Turkmani’s article about Al Rosana “A famine, a ship and a folk song that spanned borders“ where she writes how oral narratives allow us to reclaim and rewrite histories once silenced by colonialism, patriarchy and other authoritarian powers.
Some say Al Rosana (or Rozana) is a large ship that carried food from Italy to Lebanon during Lebanon’s great famine 1916-1918. Others say it carried smuggled wheat from Aleppo merchants to Beirut. Another version of the story revolves around a tragic love story that started in Safad, Palestine or Mosul in Iraq and ended up in a song in Aleppo.
Similar to how Turkmani’s versions of Al Rosana offer new perspectives to view our interconnected pasts and futures, so do some new critical readings of Norwegian myths, such as the one of The Norwegian anthropologist Runar Døving who takes a new critical historical reading of the the grand tale of “Terje Vigen”. In this dinner, we also go back further in time to think about the story of the Italian sailing captain, Pietro Querini, who was shipwrecked in Røst in North Norway, and how, as he sailed back to Venice, he took back with him the inspiration to introduce Stockfish into Italian cooking.
Turkmani goes on to cite Rabih Alameddine in his novel “The Hakawati,”—or “the storyteller” as he writes: “What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.”
Al Rosana, and the many versions of its origin, are the inspiration for our six-course dinner.
Come on board, and as we indulge in the tapestry of Levantine culinary treasures, let’s re-create and re-tell the stories of our pasts and futures.

Re-membering Communities
2023-09-23 14:00 - 15:30 | Nasjonalmuseet (The National Museum), Brynjulf Bulls plass 3, Oslo, 0250, Norway
Archival Practices in the Arts and the Struggle Against Oppression
Masahat and the National Museum invite you to a conversation on archival practices in the Auditorium, with contributions from the founder of Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution Sana Yazigi, the Egyptian artist, curator and independent publisher Maha Maamoun and the Norwegian artist Sille Storihle, moderated by Khaled Fahmy.
Why do artists deploy archives and archival practices as a creative methodology? Why do we need to remember and what is worth revisiting from the past? How do we archive and what relation to the future do we build through archival acts? What do we include, who do we exclude? How can archives be the building blocks for how we construct or revise history?
In the last decades, artistic engagement with archives has explored different facets of memory and remembering as social and political acts. Archival interests have especially been prominent amongst artists who seek to challenge state-sanctioned archival practices by questioning official deployments of archival memory as a site of violence against certain excluded groups and communities. Artistic archival memory may collect, recollect, recall and insist to tell about moments and modes of repression practiced by the state and its official historians.
This panel addresses the question of archives as a tool for dissident forms of artistic expression. We bring two curators, an artist, and a historian engaged in dissident remembering practices to explore the potential of archives as tools of protest as well as sites of memory work that re-members social bonds against the fragmentation imposed by the state on disenfranchised communities.
The event is comprised of short presentations of ongoing practices of archives and archiving from Syria, Egypt as well as local Norwegian artistic engagement with archival memory as a critical modality against a history of marginalization and political disenfranchizement.
Prior to the panel, there will be a special guided tour in the National museum where Mikael Munz Bakketun will present a collection of work that tackles the questions of history, archive and political struggles. The guided tour starts at 13.00, and is free for those who have an entry ticket to the museum. More information about the tour can be found here.
This event is organized in collaboration with Ettijahat – Independent Culture, and Nasjonalmuseet.

Toumba (DJ set) / Blå
2023-09-22 23:00 - 2023-09-23 03:00 | BLÅ, Brenneriveien 9c, Oslo, 0182, Norway
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Born and raised in Jordan, DJ and producer Yazan Zyadat, aka Toumba, is now based in London, where he fashions lithe club bangers that melt Middle Eastern elements with dubstep basslines and clattering breaks. Last year he experienced a flurry of interest when Ben UFO’s Hessle Audio label released his “Petals” EP and Zyadat was able to broadcast his unique sounds on a larger platform. Tonally ambitious and deviously percussive, his music takes the essence of Arabic tarab and shelat forms (often seen as wedding music) and dilutes it in a dance floor-ready roil of booming bass and dissociated synths.
Supporting acts: DJ Daeva opening + 𒀭unnaki closing
—
Daeva /opening/
Nasim aka Daeva is an Oslo-based artist and DJ born and raised in Tehran. Since 2004, Daeva has featured heavily on Oslo’s club and festival scene, via Cosmopolite, Blå, Khartoum, Dattera, the National Museum, Riksscenen, the Munch Museum, Mela Festival, Oslo Pride and much more. She plays rhythms from all corners of the world with extra emphasis on the Middle East, the African continent and South America.
—
𒀭unnak /closing/
𒀭unnaki (read: Anunnaki) explores the origins of mystics through his music. He’ll take you on a stroll at your ancestral graveyard. There you’ll hear heavy kicks, tappy drums and light symphonies meshed in together with a taste of a tribal belonging. 𒀭unnaki stands behind several underground concepts and has performed at Ingensteds, Evrysome, Melahuset, Baba Bar and intimate festivals

Reclaiming History
2023-09-22 17:00 - 20:30 | Deichman Bjørvika, Oslo, 0150
انضموا إلينا يوم الجمعة 22 سبتمبر/أيلول في ثاني أيام مهرجان مساحات لأمسية ممتعة في مكتبة دايكمان بيورفيكا نناقش فيها الحق في استعادة التاريخ، وسياسات الأرشيف في مصر والنرويج.
Join us on Friday 22 September, the second day of Masahat festival, for an insightful & inspiring evening at Deichman Bjørvika to talk about the right to history, archives, and heritage politics from Egypt and Norway.
البرنامج
17:00 – 18:45 عرض فيلم سلطة بلدي إخراج ناديا كامل (2008, 105′)
19:00 – 19:30 محاضرة: استعادة التاريخ: الشعب، السلطة والأرشيف مع خالد فهمي
19:30 – 20:30 نقاش: خالد فهمي مع ميشيل تيسدل، تدير الحوار رنا عيسى
Program
17:00 – 18:45 Film screening: “Salata baladi” (Egyptian salad) dir. Nadia Kamel (2008, 105′)
19:00 – 19:30 Lecture: “Reclaiming History: People, Power, and Archives” with Khaled Fahmy
19:30 – 20:30 Discussion: Khaled Fahmy and Michelle A. Tisdel led by Rana Issa
اللغة: انكليزية
الدخول مجاني، ولكن يتطلب التسجيل مسبقاً للحصول على بطاقة
هذه الأمسية بالتعاون مع مكتبة دايكمان بيورفيكا ومركز الدراسات الإسلامية والشرق أوسطية في جامعة أوسلو.
Language: English
Free entry, but registration required.
This event is in collaboration with Deichman Bjørvika and the Centre for Islamic and Middle East Studies, UiO
Reserve your free ticket | لحجز البطاقات المجانية
When people move to a new country, they bring their home country’s history with them. But what history is that, and how well do you really know those who came before you? Masahat invites you to take a deep dive into history writing and the struggle to own your own, everyday history. Are you sure you actually know the whole story?
LECTURE: “RECLAIMING HISTORY: PEOPLE, POWER, AND ARCHIVES” WITH KHALED FAHMY
How do you take ownership of your own history after being written out of it for generations? In Norway, we have tried to find out how we can democratize history writing and cultural heritage policy to include diverse stories where the majority and minority populations are represented. Whether we have succeeded in this process is up for debate.
In the Arab world, schools, museums, and national archives celebrate the state’s history and “great men”, while the people’s history is erased and forgotten. Based on his research in the Egyptian National Archives, the Egyptian historian and academic Khaled Fahmy will reflect in his lecture on his own attempt to break this silence by telling the story of the average Egyptian.
DISCUSSION: KHALED FAHMY AND MICHELLE TISDEL
After the lecture, Khaled Fahmy will meet Michelle A. Tisdel for a conversation on identity, history writing, and the meeting point the archives, cultural heritage and definitional power in narrating history in Norway and the west. The conversation will be moderated by Rana Issa.
FILM SCREENING: “SALATA BALADI” (EGYPTIAN SALAD), (2008, 105 minutes)
This documentary explores the complex cultural and religious heritage of the Egyptian filmmaker Nadia Kamel’s own family. Her mother has Jewish and Christian Italian origins, and converted to Islam when she married Kamel’s Turkish-Ukrainian father. Accompanied by her 80-year-old mother and her 10-year-old Palestinian nephew, Kamel embarks on a journey to Italy and Israel in an attempt to tell the story of an Egypt that no longer exists.

Pasts that persist: Iraq and Palestine
2023-09-22 08:30 - 10:00 | PRIO, Hausmanns gate 3 , Oslo, 0186, Norway
Pasts That Persist: Perspectives from Iraq and Palestine
Welcome to this breakfast seminar at PRIO. Free entrance but registration is required through this link
Two decades after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and three decades following the Oslo Accords, these two anniversaries are heavily contested and remembered in the West including Norway. Iraqi and Palestinian populations continue to grapple with the profound impact of these historical events. This panel brings together expert voices from Iraq and Palestine to explore the multifaceted dimensions of collective memory, creating historical narratives and the shaping of political struggles.
2003 was meant to herald a new era for Iraqis, one of freedom and choice. Twenty years on from the invasion, in a country where over half the population was born during or after the invasion, where do things stand? How do Iraqis look back at this historical event and where do Iraqi people think things stand? Aida Al-Kaisy, co-founder of independent Iraqi website Jummar, will discuss these questions with a particular focus on a post-Tishreen Iraq and the impact of demands for change by young people.
The panel then transitions to the three-decade mark since the Oslo Accords. What does the future of peace negotiations look like after thirty years of a failed process? Nadim Khoury will look at current trends in peace negotiations that bypass Palestinians to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states. The trend, which was set in motion by the Trump administration, is, in fact, not so new. It echoes diplomatic initiatives prior to the Oslo agreements (1967-1993) that negated Palestinians altogether. In brief, the future of peace initiatives looks like its past. In both cases, it excludes the Palestinians.
The seminar is moderated by Jørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher at PRIO.

This event is in collaboration with PRIO Middle East Centre

Afterparty
2023-09-21 23:00 - 2023-09-22 01:00 | Baba bar, Storgata 13, Oslo, 0155, Norway
After our opening concert with TARABBAND, we will head to Oslo’s coolest new venue Baba Bar for a drink and chat with old and new friends. Join us as Dj Nasha will keep our company on the decks with her Arab Y2K hits crossing over amapiano beats.

Masahat 2023 åpningskonsert: TARABBAND
2023-09-21 20:00 - 22:00 | Melahuset, Mariboes gate 8, Oslo, 0183, Norway
-20:00 doors open
-20:30 concert
TARABBAND is coming to Oslo for the first time to open Masahat festival 2023!
The band’s name comes from the Arabic word Tarab, meaning “ecstasy through music”– and we promise you a no less thrilling concert than what the name reveals!
Join us on Thursday, 21 September at Melahuset and get ready to immerse yourself in a cross-cultural musical experience, sung in universal Arabic lyrics and performed with a fusion of folk and Middle Eastern melodies that make you want to leap out of your chair and dance.
Tarabband is a six-member group founded in 2008 by Iraqi-Egyptian Nadin Al khalidi and Swedish Gabriel Hermansson in Malmö, Sweden. With Nadin Al Khalidi’s charismatic and sensitive voice, Tarabband music takes off from Malmö, travels via Paris and the Mediterranean to Cairo and Baghdad creating the band’s original compositions and sound.
The group’s front figure and vocalist Nadin Al khalidi fled from Iraq in 2001 arriving to Sweden as a refugee. Her lyrics merge political and social topics along with questions around identity, survival and love.
A unique live band with influences from North Africa, the Middle East and Europe – parts of the world where they have reaped enormous success, this year Tarabband is celebrating their 15th year anniversary with their fifth album “Yekhaf” – Arabic for “afraid of me”. “Yekhaf” is based on human encounters and situations that the singer and lyricist Nadin Al Khalidi has been involved with in recent years. The texts in Arabic weave together stories about people and life’s destinies that are going on in parallel in different corners of the world – in Malmö, in the Jordanian Wadi Rum mountains, in Iraqi Mosul, in Cairo and in Baghdad, where Nadin was born and grew up.
When the musicians in Tarabband meet, they together create vibrant and touching soundscapes that invite you to dance, feel and think of the stories behind the lyrics and the melodies.
This concert is in collaboration with Melahuset
.

Meet the experts!
2023-09-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Melahuset, Mariboes gate 8, Oslo, 0183, Norway
On Thursday 21 September, just before Masahat opening concert, we invite you to Meet the experts! (a satirical panel-performance)
Ever wondered why everything is so mysterious and exotic in MENA (Middle East and North Africa)? Wonder no more. Our experts will explain the how and why of it all!
Discover everything you need to know about MENA in the flash of a second, with a bonus crash course on WENA (Western Europe and North America).
Meet the Experts! features a guest lecture by the renowned Karl reMarks (AKA Karl Sharro) who is the proud founder of the Global Institute of Internet Diagrams, and a MENA-turned-WENA expert. He will be joined by Mona Daffodil (AKA Mona Abdel-Fadil), who will share her deep anthropological insights about the Nordic culture and mindset – using state of the art PowerPoint features and real-life animations.

Salon Marie Rose (soirée)
2022-11-05 18:00 - 22:00 | Melahuset, Mariboes gate 8, Oslo, 0183, Norway
Tickets

Stand-up comedy with Shaden
ستاند آب كوميدي مع شادن
Stand-up comedy with Shaden
Welcome to Salon Marie Rose soirée, an evening of film screening, poetry, readings with finger food served, hosted by Frida Marida, and ending with a live stand-up comedy show hosted by the one and only Shaden!
Your ticket gives access to:
Salon Marie Rose (soirée)
Language: English and Arabic
Program

18.00: Opening by Frida Marida & serving finger food
18.15-18.45: Poetry reading in memory of Etel Adnan reading in English, Norwegian and Arabic
19:00-19:50: Film screening: Ismyrne (2016, 50 min) Directed by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige
20:30-21:45: Stand-up comedy show by Shaden (in Arabic only)

After six sold-out shows in Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam, Shaden will be performing her latest special _All Hell Broke Loose_ in Oslo for the first time ever at Melahuset on Saturday, 5. November.
Shaden has performed this special in Beirut with awk.word comedy in over 80 sold-out shows in 2022, and had already performed her first critically-acclaimed special SHIAA SEEDS to over 10,000 audience members since 2018.
Shaden is a Lebanese comedian, actress, and rebel. As the Middle East’s first openly queer comedian, Shaden addresses what are still considered as controversial issues for social change such as female sexuality, homosexuality, racism, religion, and mental health in her shows.
This stand-up comedy show is the concluding event of Salon Marie Rose hosted by Masahat for Arab Culture in Exile, in collaboration with Skeiv Verden and Oslo World.
ستاند آب كوميدي مع شادن
نرحب بكم في صالون ماري روز (سواريه)، أمسية تتضمن عروض أفلام وقراءات وشعر ومأكولات خفيفة، تستضيفها فريدا مريضة وتنتهي الأمسية بعرض كوميدي لشادن.
البطاقة تشمل:
صالون ماري روز (سواريه)
اللغة: انكليزي وعربي
البرنامج

18.00: فريدا مريضة تفتتح صالون ماري روز سواريه
18.15-18.45: قراءات وأشعار في ذكرى إيتيل عدنان من قبل رنا عيسى، سونيلا موباي، ورافايل خوري
19.00-19.50: عرض الفيلم الوثائقي سميرنا (2016، 50 دقيقة)
20.30-21.45: عرض كوميدي مع شادن (بالعربي فقط)

بعد جولتها الأوروبية في ستة عروض تم بيعها بالكامل في برلين وباريس وأمستردام، شادن ستقدم عرض الستاند أب كوميدي «لقد انتا* الوضع كلياً» في أوسلو لأول مرة يوم السبت 5 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني في ميلاهوسيه !
قدمت شادن هذا العرض مع أوكوورد كوميدي في بيروت في أكثر من 80 عرضاً تم بيع بطاقاتهم بالكامل في العام الجاري. يأتي عرض شادن الجديد بعد أن قدمت عرضها السابق “شيا سييدس” لأكثر من عشر آلاف شخص منذ سنة 2018.
شادن هي كوميديان وممثلة وثائرة لبنانية. بوصفها أول كوميديان عربية مثلية تتطرق شادن في عروضها للعديد من المواضيع الجدلية في الشرق الأوسط كالجنسانية والعنصرية والدين والصحة النفسية.
عرض الستاند آب الكوميدي هو جزء من صالون ماري روز من تنظيم مساحات للثقافة العربية في المنفى بالتعاون مع شايف فردن و أوسلو وورلد.

Tickets

Salon Marie Rose: Queer Arabs in Exile
2022-11-05 15:00 - 22:00 | Melahuset, Mariboes gate 8, Oslo, 0183, Norway
English
العربي
English
Welcome to Salon Marie Rose: Queer Arabs in Exile, a day including a pop-up library, films on loop, finger food, poetry and readings hosted by Frida Marida and ending with a stand-up comedy show with Shaden (comedy show in Arabic only). Salon Marie Rose is taking place at Melahuset on Saturday 5 November from 15.00 to 22.00.
A queer Arab exilic pop-up social gathering space in Oslo, Salon Marie Rose is commemorating the memory of the beautiful and mountainous queer artist, poet and writer Etel Adnan (1925-2021) who passed away in November 2021, and takes its inspiration from her novel about the Lebanese civil war “Sitt Marie Rose”.
Adnan’s composite and diasporic identities that include Greek and Syrian parents, Lebanese upbringing, American and French exiles has been a towerting inspiration for queer Arab arts and literature for more than five decades. Adnan’s multidisciplinary practice, emancipatory and whimsical in form and content, coupled with her cosmopolitan national and gender identities provide a prismatic backdrop for Salon Marie Rose as a queer Arab exilic pop-up social gathering space in Oslo.
العربي
نرحب بكم في صالون ماري روز: مساحة كويرية في المنفى. نلتقي خلال يوم كامل مع مكتبة مؤقتة، عروض أفلام، قراءات وشعر ومأكولات خفيفة. تستضيف الصالون فريدا مريضة وتنتهي الأمسية بعرض كوميدي لشادن. (العرض ستاند آب كوميدي بالعربي فقط).
نلتقي في صالون ماري روز يوم السبت 5 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني في ميلا هوسيه من الساعة 3 عصراً حتى الساعة 10 مساءً.

يحتفي صالون ماري روز بذكرى الفنانة والشاعرة والكاتبة الجميلة إيتيل عدنان (1925-2021) التي رحلت عن عالمنا في نوفمبر الماضي، ويستوحي الصالون اسمه من رواية عدنان عن الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية “ست ماري روز”.
شكلت حياة ايتيل عدنان المنطوية على عدة هويات مركبة من أبوين من أصول سورية ويونانية، وتنشئتها في لبنان ومن ثم حياتها في المنفى في فرنسا وأمريكا، مصدر إلهام للفن والأدب العربي الكويري على مدى العقود الخمسة المنصرمة. يتكئ صالون ماري روز على إرث إيتيل عدنان الفني التحرري وغير المألوف في الشكل والمضمون ويستوحي من هوياتها الجندرية والقومية المتعددة محاولة لخلق مساحة ثقافية واجتماعية في المنفى للالتقاء والتعارف والنقاش.
Program
البرنامج
Program
Program
Salon Marie Rose (matiné)
FREE entry – Language: English and Arabic

15.00: Salon Marie Rose is open
15.00-18.00: Mingling & a pop-up library & films on loop with possibility of buying books by and about queer arabs curated for this event

Salon Marie Rose (soirée)
Get ticket – Language: English and Arabic

18.00: Opening by Frida Marida & serving finger food
18.15-18.45: Poetry reading in memory of Etel Adnan reading by Rana Issa, Hanna Asefaw, Raphael Amahl Khouri and Suneela Mubayi.
19.00-19.50: Film screening: Ismyrna (2016, 50 min) Directed by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige
20.30-21.45: Stand-up comedy show with Shaden (in Arabic only)

After six sold-out shows in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam and more than 80 sold-out shows in Beirut, Shaden will be performing her latest special _All Hell Broke Loose_ in Oslo for the first time ever at Melahuset on Saturday, 5. November!
البرنامج
البرنامج——–صالون ماري روز (ماتينيه)الدخول مجانياللغة: عربي وانكليزيالساعة 15.00: يفتح صالون ماري روزالساعة 15.00-18.00: صالون ماري روز مفتوح للزيارة ومشاهدة عدة أفلام معروضة على مدار الساعة، وزيارة مكتبة مؤقتة مع إمكانية شراء كتب كويرية عربية تم انتقاؤها لهذه المناسبة صالون ماري روز (سواريه)لشراء البطاقةاللغة: عربي وانكليزيالساعة 18.00: فريدا مريضة تفتتح صالون ماري روز سواريهالساعة 18.15-18.45: قراءات وأشعار في ذكرى إيتيل عدنان من قبل رنا عيسى، سونيلا موباي، ورافايل خوريالساعة 19.00-19.50: عرض الفيلم الوثائقي سميرنا (2016، 50 دقيقة)الساعة 20.30-21.45: عرض كوميدي بالعربي مع شادن (اللغة: عربي)
شادن ستقدم عرض الستاند أب كوميدي «لقد انتا* الوضع كلياً» في أوسلو لأول مرة يوم السبت 5 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني في ميلاهوسيه!
قدمت شادن هذا العرض مع أوكوورد كوميدي في بيروت في أكثر من 80 عرضاً تم بيع بطاقاتهم بالكامل في العام الجاري. بالإضافة إلى جولتها الأوروبية الحديثة على مدار ستة عروض تم بيعها بالكامل في برلين وباريس وأمستردام.
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Film program during Salon Marie Rose
Films on loop during Salon Marie Rose (matiné)
Marco (2019, 22′)
Marco (2019, 22′)
Directed by Saleem Haddad
Language: English & ArabicSubtitles: English
Omar has been living in London for a decade. He spends his days working in the City, and his nights ignoring phone calls from his family back in Lebanon. One evening, restless after another pleading voicemail from his mother, he invites over Marco, a Spanish student newly-arrived in London, who’s doing sex work to earn some extra cash. But when Marco arrives, Omar can’t shake the feeling that something’s not quite right about the young man. As their night together progresses truths are revealed, defences are lowered, and Omar discovers the lengths that Marco has gone to to arrive in London.
Run(a)way Arab (2018, 12′)
Runaway Arab (2018, 12′)
Directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi
Language: Arabic
Subtitle: English
NAZEEM is a 26 year old Middle Eastern drag queen who names herself QUEEN ZA DREAM – she is preparing for a show with the utmost gravity, with an outfit evocative of an Egyptian deity.Interwoven with this is the story of NAZEEM as a genderqueer 8 year-old boy, and the close bond he has with his Iraqi-Egyptian mother, HALIMA. Whilst flamboyant and in many ways a drag queen herself on the surface, HALIMA is governed by the strict expectations of gender in Arab society.When a young NAZEEM transgresses these boundaries, HALIMA reacts in a way that is utterly confusing to him. Only though his drag, is the adult NAZEEM able to keep sacred the memories of his mother before this painful moment, and hold on to their connection.
Another Dream (2019, immersive)
Directed by: Tamara Shogaolu
Another Dream, a hybrid animated documentary and VR game, brings the gripping, true love story of an Egyptian lesbian couple to life. Faced with a post-revolution backlash against the LGBTQ community, they escape Cairo to seek asylum and acceptance in the Netherlands.
Film screening during Salon Marie Rose (soirée)
ISMYRNA (2016, 50′)
Ismyrna (2016, 50)
Lebanon/France/UAE 2016Directed by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil JoreigeLanguage: FrenchSubtitles: English
Joana met the artist and poet Etel Adnan at the end of the 1990s. They quickly grew close, bound by links to a city they had never been to: Smyrna formerly, Izmir today. Joana’s paternal Greek family were forced into exile from Smyrna by the Turkish armies after the end of the Ottoman Empire. Etel’s Greek mother, was born in Smyrna, married to a Syrian officer of the Ottoman Army and exiled to Lebanon after the fall of the empire. Etel and Joana lived in an imaginary Smyrna, today Izmir, without ever setting foot there. At present, both find themselves engaged in questions around the transmission of history, and interrogate their attachment to objects, places, the constructions of imaginaries and mythologies without images. Their personal experiences, their stories serve as a background to the region’s changes after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the evolution of the borders questionning the notion of identity and belonging.

Tickets

Salon Marie Rose is a project by Masahat for Arab Culture in Exile, in collaboration with Skeiv Verden, Oslo World and Melahuset.
Guests الضيوف

Masahat Screens: Let’s hope it rains
2022-09-25 14:00 - 16:30 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
On the last day of Masahat festival 2022, join us for “Let’s hope it rains”, a film program on a long and lazy Sunday afternoon, because one thing is certain: the Middle East is thirsty, but mostly for political will.

Masahat Screens, a contemplative and critical film program curated by Dalia Alkury, invites you to four creative climate fictions and documentaries to help us face the big elephant in the desert. The first three films will take us to the dry deserts of the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, while the last one quenches our thirst at a thousand year old cedar forest in Lebanon with a poetic, post-human narrative. You will leave with some more insight on who else we can blame for our climate dystopias and violent ecologies of today.
🌍 Language: English
Program

Welcome by Racha Helen Larsen, Festival and Program Director at MIRAGE festival.
How to Kill a Cloud (2021, 81′)
NIUN (2018, 7′)
Matters of Time (2019, 6’)
Dreams of a Wandering Octopus (2022, 22′) followed by Q&A with the director Mira Adoumier, moderated by Egil Håskjold Larsen.

Masahat Screens 2022 is in collaboration with Oslo Documentary Cinema and Mirage – Art of the Real International Film Festival.

Photo credit: still from NIUN (2018, 7’), directed by Ahaad Alamoudi.

This event is part of Masahat’s annual festival for Arab arts and culture taking place during 20-25 September 2022 around different venues in Oslo.

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About the films
How to Kill a Cloud (2021, 81′), Finland, Denmark
Directed by Tuija Halttunen
Scientist Hannele Korhonen has one ultimate passion: to be the best at what she does and be recognised for it. Her life changes dramatically when she is awarded a 1,5 million USD research grant by the United Arab Emirates to participate in their ambitious project to stimulate rainfall over the notoriously arid region. The opportunity to get proper funding and do good sounds amazing. But, gradually Hannele learns that the financiers have their own agenda. Her enthusiasm morphs into an ethical dilemma and inner conflicts. If she succeeds to make it rain is she giving means to rule the clouds? What is the ultimate price of ambition?
NIUN (2018, 7′), Saudi Arabia
Directed by Ahaad Alamoudi
Alamoudi’s video NIUN (2018), made in collaboration with American artist Michael Mogensen, is inspired by thirteenth-century Persian physician, geographer, and writer Zakariya al-Qazwini’s story, Awaj bin Anfaq, considered one of the first works of science fiction, about an alien who visits Earth to study the oddities of human behavior. The video follows two protagonists (NIUN 1 and NIUN 2) who claim the desert as their own and begin to lay down the foundation for a new civilization. Together, the pair devise seven essential components to ensure a prosperous future: energy, water, mobility, biotechnology, entertainment, technology, and manufacturing. The outlanders chant mantras—ardi (“my land”), noor (“light”), hajira (“traveller”), and hajirati (“my rock”)—which, for the artist, reinforces the importance of language and open communication in cultivating the future.
Matters of Time (2019, 6’), Jordan
Matters of Time (2019, 6’), Jordan
Direction & Production – Abeer Seikaly
“Bedouin women have long been charged with assembling the tribes’ Beit-al-sha’ar (house of hair), weaving yards of tent material from the hair of goats and the wool of sheep. With limited resources, weaving has been their means of self-expression in the face of societal submission for centuries, architects silenced in a world of men. For them, responding to the environment has never been an intellectual exercise; it is their way of life. Unlike the structures of stone and concrete which could one day be deserted, left as ruins in the shifting sands, the Beit-al-shaar is a symbol of their voices, an ever-inhabited mobile home within which their daily lives unfolds.
This piece aims to reveal this kind of ‘matriarchal architecture’ and its purposeful and centuries-old social weaving process; an adaptive environmental response to the harsh climate of the Jordanian Badia. However, with the encroaching impact of tourism to their territories, the bedouin tribes of Wadi Rum have increasingly abandoned their pastoral existence to engage with the emergent economy and influx of travellers. This shift has manifested in the most extraordinary ways, as men are called out to build concrete structures and erect ‘supposed’ eco-lodge bubbles, while the women-held knowledge of adaptive environmental tent-craftsmanship is hidden away, held captive behind another block in the patriarchal wall.”
Dreams of a Wandering Octopus (2022, 21′), Lebanon
Directed by Mira Adoumier
I watch you disappear behind the rocky hill as you walk lightly away, looking for your way back through the forest we got lost in. You asked: Do we come to nature to preserve our limits or to surpass them? Three voices unfold over three screens as a woman plunges into the depth of an enchanted thousand-year old cedar forest.
