Masahat 2025: Oum Quartet
2025-09-19 21:00 - 23:00 (Europe/Oslo) | Cosmopolite, Vogts gate 64, Oslo, Oslo, 0477, Norway
I anledning vårt 10-årsjubileum er Masahat stolte av å samarbeide med Cosmopolite for å presentere to ekstraordinære kvinnelige stemmer fra Nord-Afrika!
Festivalen åpner med Emel den 17. september, en av Tunisias mest ikoniske artister, etterfulgt av en fredagskonsert med den sjelfulle marokkanske sangeren Oum.

20:00 Dørene åpner
21:00 Konsertstart

Bli med på en magisk aften når den anerkjente artisten Oum inntar Cosmopolite den 19. september! Etter en strålende konsert på Cosmopolite i 2020, vender hun nå tilbake med sin unike blanding av marokkansk soul, jazz og afrikanske rytmer – en musikalsk reise som binder oss sammen gjennom felles følelser, kjærlighet og kultur.

Med sitt nyeste album «Dakchi» markerer Oum et tiår med skapende reiser og konserter, og gjenoppdager de beste sporene fra «Soul Of Morocco», «Zarabi» og «Daba», samtidig som hun overrasker med tre splitter nye låter.
Velkommen til en kveld med ekte marokkansk magi og fellesskap!

Line up:

Oum – singer
Yacir Rami – oud
Camille Passeri – trumpet
Amar Chaoui – percussions

Kjøp en kombinasjonsbillett til både Emels konsert (onsdag 17. sept) og Oums konsert (fredag 19. sept) til rabattert pris

Earlybird – enkelbillett: 300/250,- (begrensent antall!)
Earlybird – kombobillett: 550/500,- (begrensent antall!)
Ordinær pris – enkelbillett: 350/300,-
Ordinær pris – kombobillett: 600/550,-

Grønlands Maidan: Home Not for Sale.
2025-09-20 12:00 - 16:00 | Grønland
Street Party Against the Gentrification of Grønland

Practical Information
📍 Meeting point: Botsparken → ending at Olafiagangen🕛 Time: 12:00–16:00🌿 Open to all — free public event

A festival day of ritual, people’s march, stories of solidarity and resistance, textile workshops, games, and music in the streets of Grønland.
Grønland is Oslo’s cultural crossroads—a neighborhood where diverse communities and newcomers from Norway and across the world have lived, worked, and thrived for generations. Today, greedy developers and their political enablers threaten to erase this history, displace communities, and sell our streets to the highest bidder.
We say no.
Join us at Olafiagangen for a day of celebration and solidarity—because the soul of a neighborhood lives in its people.

The march starts 12:00 at Botsparken. It ends 12:30 at Olafiagangen with speeches from Reduser Husleia, Leieboerforeningen and Nordic Black Theatre.
We march to protect Grønland from the growing pressure of real estate speculation: higher rents, unstable leases, and gentrification that risks pushing away families, businesses, and organizations that have long been the heart of this neighborhood.
Artist Waldane Walker will guide us through a powerful MAS (masquerade), leading a ritual procession to cleanse the neighborhood from greedy developers and city planners who seek to displace us by building homes only for those who can afford them.
✨ March with us, raise your voice in the chants, and help protect the soul of Grønland from gentrification.💚 Come show your love for the neighborhood.

Program
📍 Start: Botsparken → End: Olafiagangen🕛 Time: 12:00–16:00

Botsparken → Olafiagangen
12:00–12:30 | Our Home, Our Neighbourhood: People’s March for GrønlandA march against gentrification, led by artist Waldane Walker a MAS (masquerade), leading a ritual procession to cleanse the neighborhood from greedy developers.

Olafiagangen
12:30–12:45 | SpeechesWith contributions from Reduser Husleia, Leieboerforeningen, and Nordic Black Theatre.
12:30–16:00 | The Solidarity Patchwork – Threads of ResistanceWith Latin-Amerika Gruppen (LAG Norge). Add your own stitched story to a collective quilt of global solidarity.
12:30–16:00 | Veggietales (work in progress)By Aleksander Varadian. A visual artwork on gentrification using fruits and vegetables from Grønland’s markets.
12:30–16:00 | No Silence in the Arts for GazaBy Stefanie Reinhart. An exhibition of 700+ small artworks in Palestinian colors — expressions of grief, hope, and resistance.👉 The full exhibition can be viewed at Mama’s Café / Frivillighetens hus until October 11.
13:10–13:25 | FlashmobWith Nordic Black Theatre.
13:30–15:30 | Third SpaceBy Dahleez Collective. An audio-narrative interweaving memories, absence, and presence from Gaza. Guests: Bisan Nateel, Asem Nabih, Fidaa Al-Hasanat – Majdal Nateel.
14:00–16:00 | Kurak WorkshopWith Peri Orunbaeva. Learn the Kyrgyz textile tradition of Kurak. Drop-in workshop, limited spots.@
14:00–16:00 | StedsvevenBy Tenthaus (Helen Eriksen, Samira Jamouchi, Ebba Moi). A participatory textile project exploring Grønland–Tøyen’s identity.

Dattera til Hagen
13:30–15:00 | Reading Circle: The War Against HospitalitiesWith Rene Gabri and Ayreen Anastas. A discussion on colonialism as a war against hospitality, with texts, zines, and dialogue.

Nordic Black Theatre
14:00–15:00 | Concert: Ramy EssamIn collaboration with Kawakibi Foundation.

In collaboration withNordic Black Theater · Oslo Museum · Tenthaus · Dattera til Hagen · Safemuse · Kawakibi Foundation · Leieboerforeningen · Atelier Kunstnerforbundet

Om Kamp, Om Kjærlighet
2025-09-20 17:00 - 18:30 | Dattera til Hagen, Grønland 10, Oslo, Oslo, 0188, Norway
We are proud to welcome Sumayo Jirde Cali (formerly Sumaya Jirde Ali) as the keynote speaker for Masahat Festival 2025.
With her keynote Om kamp, om kjærlighet (On Struggle, On Love), Sumayo invites us into a powerful reflection on hospitality — as personal experience, political responsibility, and collective practice.
Through the lens of her many lived identities — as a poet, playwright, literary critic, anthropologist, Somali, Black, Muslim woman — she asks:

What does it mean to treat hospitality as a radical act?Can it become a foundation for more just, inclusive, and sustainable communities?

Sumayo Jirde Cali has made her mark on Norwegian literature with work that confronts racism, power, and silence. She writes to make visible what is often erased — and to create space for those pushed to the margins.
Critic Oda Faremo Lindholm (VG) describes her voice as “painful and beautiful about what is brutally ugly.”
In Morgenbladet, Tonje Vold hears echoes of Angela Davis and bell hooks — Black feminist thinkers who urged women to love and save themselves first.
Join us for an evening of poetry, conversation, and collective reflection. This keynote will speak to anyone questioning belonging, identity, and the possibilities of community.
Date: Saturday, 20 September 2025Time: 17:00–18:30Location: Dattera til Hagen, OsloAdmission: Free and open to all
Sumayo Jirde Cali (b. 1997) is a Norwegian-Somali poet, writer, and cultural critic. She debuted with Kvinner som hater menn in 2017, followed by Melanin hvitere enn blekemiddel, Ikkje ver redd sånne som meg, and Når jeg ser havet, slokner lyset.
She is the recipient of several awards including:– The Oslo Prize for “Voice of the Year”– The Zola Prize– The Amalie Skram Prize– The Freedom of Expression Prize from the Norwegian Authors’ Union– Årets Bodøværing (Citizen of the Year in Bodø)
📸 Photo: Lina Hindrum

The Frida Marida Show x Dragon Blood by Only Slime
2025-09-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Det Norske Teatret, Kristian IVs g. 8, 0164, OSLO, 0164, Norway
Practical Information
📍 Venue: Det Norske Teatret📅 Date: September 20, 2025
🕔 Program:

16:30 → Dragon Blood by Only Slime

19:00 → The Frida Marida Show (duration: 1.5 hours)

🌍 Language: English🎟️ One ticket gives you access to both performances.
This performance is for Adults only

A Night of Fantasy, Music & Radical Hospitality

Masahat, in collaboration with Ultima, Det Norske Teatret, Karmaklubb and Only Slime, proudly presents The Frida Marida Show.
With support from Masahat and as part of the RAWABET project, Frida transforms a car steering wheel into a drum, tracing her personal journey — from a young man in Lebanon dreaming of music, to a woman, singer, and songwriter in Oslo. Life’s unexpected turns echo in rhythm and sound.
The evening opens with Dragon Blood by Only Slime, unfolding inside an immersive dinner-style installation: chandeliers, tables instead of rows, and performers moving among the audience. Everyone becomes part of the artwork. Guests are encouraged to wear imaginative, fantasy-inspired costumes.
At 19:00, Frida takes the stage with five musicians, two dancers, and a set of out-of-the-box concepts. She embraces Masahat’s 2025 theme of hospitality by singing in eight languages — inviting audiences into a shared cultural space across borders.
The night culminates with the launch of Frida Marida’s groundbreaking music video Fri Da Nipple — where six electronic boob-triggers become live instruments. Sound, body, and technology merge in a drag performance that redefines both music and art.

This event is presented in collaboration with Rawabet — a collective initiative led by Ettijahat – Independent Culture and implemented in partnership with GEZMATAZ, VOCE, coculture, Masahat, and Transversal Project.
Rawabet is supported by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the Creative Europe programme. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Palestinsk natt – Hiba Salameh
2025-09-20 21:30 - 22:30 | Riksscenen, Trondheimsveien 2T, Oslo, Norway
Hiba Salameh is a music producer, filmmaker, and DJ from Haifa, known for her electrifying sets and fearless approach to sound. She has toured the world, from Ramallah to Berlin, weaving together the rich heritage of Arabic music with rhythms and textures from the southern hemisphere. Her work has earned her international recognition, including being named by Mixmag as “one of the Palestinian DJs you need to know.”
For Hiba, music, film, art, and activism are inseparable. She uses creativity as a tool to tell stories of Palestinian culture, identity, and history—challenging borders and genres alike to create unique, sensual experiences where traditions rooted in the past meet their contemporary reflections.
Her journey began with the piano and organ in childhood, a passion she carried into adulthood. At 18, after an accident left her hospitalised for a year and without full use of her left arm, she turned to electronic music as her new means of expression. This shift opened up a world of possibilities. Traveling widely, she collected music from across the Arab world as well as Mexico, Spain, Brazil, and Berlin, shaping a sound that transcends geography.
“I think we’re a depressed generation—not just here, but all over the world,” Hiba says. “So I want to bring joy when I play music, especially to oppressed, unheard people.”
Refusing to be pigeon-holed, Hiba has taken her time to define her own sound: a vibrant mix of genres that have marked her life. She is often expected to play only Arabic music, a limitation she resists. For her, each performance is not only about music—it’s about the context. “I get a lot of offers to play, but it’s important I understand their agenda, their political view, and the people who will be there before I say yes,” she explains.
As much as Hiba’s music is for everyone, her activism is rooted in visibility. “My activism is for Palestinians to see me as a female artist on stage and feel empowered.”
On 20 September, she will close Palestinian Night at Riksscenen—delivering a boundless, pulsating set after DAM.

Palestinsk natt – DAM
2025-09-20 21:30 - 23:30 | Riksscenen, Trondheimsveien 2T, Oslo, Norway
Masahat and Riksscenen invite you to Palestinian Night – an evening of engagement, resistance, and cultural solidarity.

Headlining the night: DAM – the first Palestinian hip hop collective, and among the very first to rap in Arabic. Formed in the late 1990s by Tamer Nafar, Suhell Nafar, and Mahmood Jrere, DAM began shaping a language of resistance through hip hop. In 2015, Maysa Daw officially joined the group, and together they released their first single, Who You Are.

Rooted in Lyd, their music gave voice to Palestinian experiences at a time when few others were doing so. Their breakthrough came with Min Irhabi? (Who’s the terrorist?), downloaded over one million times in 2001, making them a cultural and musical reference point for a generation navigating violence, displacement, and questions of identity.

“The most entertaining, original and socially-engaged music to come out of the Middle East.”
– Martin Vennard, BBC World Service

Their latest album, Ben Haana Wa Maana, marks a new phase – more introspective, direct, and personal. A body of work that moves between protest and reflection, between grief and a radical insistence on self-worth. “You can dance to the drums of revolution,” they say.
But sometimes, you can also pause. Listen. And carry the weight of what remains unsaid.

Closing the night is Hiba Salameh – a music producer, filmmaker, and DJ from Haifa, named by Mixmag as “one of the Palestinian DJs you need to know.” Touring globally with her eclectic, genre-defying sets, she fuses the rich heritage of Arabic music with electronic sounds and rhythms from around the world – creating immersive, sensual experiences that connect past and present.

Lesesirkel: språk og solidaritet
2025-09-21 12:00 - 14:30 | Dattera til Hagen, Grønland 10, Oslo, Oslo, 0188, Norway
Reading Circle – Solidarity and Language
📍 Location: Dattera til Hagen📅 Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025🕛 Time: 12:00–14:30🥗 Format: Reading circle + discussion over a warm brunch💸 Admission: Free and open to everyone

On the closing day of Masahat Festival, we gather in an intimate space to reflect, read, and share. Continuing our tradition from previous years, we invite you to join us for a reading circle and conversation over brunch—a moment to slow down, connect, and close the festival together.
This year we are honored to host the renowned Syrian author Samar Yazbek, in dialogue with Rana Issa, for a conversation on language and solidarity in brutal times.
Yazbek’s literary voice has received international acclaim and numerous prizes. With two short story collections, seven novels, and four works of nonfiction—translated into more than twenty languages—her writing has become central to the global understanding of Syria, war, and exile.
In her forthcoming book Memory of Loss, Yazbek gathers testimonies from survivors of the genocide in Gaza. Initially hesitant to approach those who had lost everything—unsure if speaking of their grief could matter—she was struck by the persistence of Gazans to tell their stories. Despite despair, they insisted on being heard. Their generosity with words and time left Yazbek with the feeling of being an eternal guest, hoping that in return she can offer a timeless recognition of their courage and dignity.
Through these haunting narratives, Yazbek raises questions that will guide our circle:

How can we narrate horrors that seem beyond words? When does silence better reflect helplessness?

In a world where human suffering is reduced to consumable fragments, can storytelling resist erasure—not to explain or justify, but to insist on recognition of unspeakable pain?

How can writing preserve truth, memorialize injustice, and extend solidarity to people subjected to brutality in Gaza, Sudan, and beyond?

Join us at Dattera til Hagen to close Masahat Festival with reflection, nourishment, and community. Together, we ask how language itself can become an act of solidarity.

Masahat Screens & Sudanese Evening
2025-09-21 15:30 - 17:30 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
📍 Location: VEGA Scene, Oslo📅 Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025🕔 Time: 15:30–17:30 (films + discussion) → followed by Sudanese Evening (food + music)🎟️ Tickets: includes access to Masahat Screens + Sudanese evening

We close this year’s Masahat Festival at VEGA Scene, in collaboration with Oslo Documentary Cinema, with an inspiring program that moves from film and dialogue to an evening of food, music, and celebration of Sudanese culture.

Part One: Masahat Screens
Program

– In Fields of Words (2022, 70 mins) | Lebanon | dir. Rania Stephan
– The Other Side of Beauty (2024, 11 mins) | Morocco, Sudan | dir. Sami Saif Sirelkhatim
– Gaza Artists (2024, 16 mins) – | Palestine | dir. Mustafa al-Nabih

Following the screenings, there will be a discussion with Syrian author Samar Yazbek.
About the films
In Fields of Words (2022, 70 mins) | Lebanon | dir. Rania Stephan
A filmic dialogue between Syrian writer-in-exile Samar Yazbek and Lebanese filmmaker Rania Stephan, asking what role cinema and literature can play in the face of war, death, and violence. Shot between 2013 and 2019, the film documents the course of the Syrian revolution and civil war while exploring the question: “Can literature and cinema capture this tragedy?” Combining image, sound, and Yazbek’s words, Stephan creates a poetic and political testimony of our time. Winner of the Best Film Award at the 2022 Villa Medici Film Festival.

The Other Side of Beauty (2024, 11 mins) | Morocco, Sudan | dir. Sami Saif SirelkhatimThe story of a Sudanese photographer who finds beauty in his homeland’s stars and landscapes, while also facing the violence of war and genocide in Darfur. His images reveal truth to the world, but at great personal cost—through imprisonment, torture, and repression.
Gaza Artists (2024, 16 mins) – | Palestine | dir. Mustafa al-Nabih
A short documentary produced by Arji foundation, written and directed by Mustafa Al-Nabih. It offers a window into the lives of Palestinian artists in the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing displacement and the difficult conditions they endure. The film takes us on a journey with three artists from different generations, all of whom were displaced from Gaza and now live in the city of Rafah in the south of the Strip. We follow their daily lives, struggles, and the impact of continuous displacement on their creativity and personal lives, through genuine human moments, aside from the usual images of destruction. It seeks to reveal the human side of those who continue to live, dream, and create despite all that has been lost. This film is a cry to the world: Gaza is being annihilated, but we love life, and we resist with love and art. Every moment here bears the imprint of war; every smile is a victory.

Part Two: Sudanese Evening: Food, Music & Stories
After films and discussion, the festival continues with a Sudanese Evening at VEGA.
✨ Tasting menu of iconic Sudanese dishes by chef Mohammed Mustafa.✨ Solo concert by young Sudanese-Norwegian talent Yasir Moa, a songwriter and storyteller blending classical tunes with rhythmic, danceable sounds.
This evening is curated in collaboration with Khalid Albaih and Naoures Rouissi.

Sudansk aften: Mat, musikk og historier
2025-09-21 17:30 - 18:30 | Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo, 0182, Norway
Sudanese Evening: Food, Music & Stories
📍 Location: VEGA Scene, Oslo Documentary Cinema📅 Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025🕔 Time: 17:30–18:30
🎟️ Tickets: includes access to Masahat Screens + Sudanese evening

After a day of films and discussions, we invite you to close Masahat Festival with a Sudanese Evening at VEGA. The program begins with a tasting menu of iconic Sudanese dishes curated by chef Mohammed Mustafa, followed by a solo concert with young Sudanese-Norwegian talent Yasir Moa. This special evening is curated in collaboration with Khalid Albaih and Naoures Rouissi.
Join us at VEGA to end the festival with the tastes and sounds of Sudan—an evening of community, culture, and celebration.

Folkemordet i Gaza og Big Tech
2025-10-19 15:30 - 17:00 | Cinemateket, Dronningens gate 16, Oslo, Oslo, 0105, Norway
Fritt Ord, Masahat og Oslo Dokumentarkino inviterer til foredrag og samtale med Nadim Nashif om Big Techs medvirkning til folkemordet i Gaza.
Søndag 19. oktober 2025 kl. 15.30 på Cinemateket, Oslo
I foredraget vil Nadim Nashif ta opp sensur av palestinske stemmer, spredning av skadelige narrativer på sosiale medier, militarisering av kunstig intelligens, nedstenging av innsamlingsaksjoner for Gaza og en systematisk utestengning av palestinere fra finansielle tjenester, blant annet PayPal.
Panelet vil diskutere kampen om det digitale narrativet og framheve den helt avgjørende rollen palestinske medier og journalister spiller, på tross av målrettede drap og undertrykkelse. Med Nadim Nashif, Maja Van Der Velden (professor, Teknologi og bærekraftige fremtider, UiO) og Kyrre Lien (utenriksjournalist og tidligere Midtøsten-korrespondent i VG). Journalist Ingerid Salvesen er moderator.

Alaa Abu Diab / Live in Oslo
2026-02-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Sentralen, Øvre Slottsgate 3, Oslo, 0157, Norway
“Virtual Reality” is Alaa Abu Diab’s newest special: a comedic, brutally honest dive into the world we think we’re living in, versus the world that’s happening while we’re too busy refreshing our notifications.
With his signature storytelling and political humour, Alaa drags us, lovingly, between two realities: the one we laugh at, and the one we avoid
In this special, Alaa exposes the glitches in our daily lives, the lies we tell ourselves, and the ridiculous ways we escape reality, one screen at a time.
It’s sharp. It’s real. It’s painfully funny.
And it leaves you wondering: Are we actually living, or just buffering?
Please note: This show will be fully presented in Arabic.

Date: Monday, February 9th, 2026
Doors time: 5:30 PM
Show time: 6:00 PM

General admission, first come first serve, Seating will be assigned upon arrival.
For Premium, we add reserved seating first rows, the best view of the stage!
