Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF) has revealed its full programme of events for the 2022 edition, curated around the theme ‘A Point of Connection’ – Nuqtat Wasl in Arabic, and marking 20 years since the first festival was held in the city.
Earlier this year, festival fans welcomed the news that the one-and-only Family Day will return to Sefton Park Palm House after a two-year hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Taking place on Sunday 17 July the spectacular free finale will feature music, traditional food and family fun.
Live music performances on the day include festival favourites TootArd, with the trailblazing duo from the Golan heights returning to Liverpool with a new album and a new sound – an 80s Arabic style blend with modern synth.
They’ll be joined at the Palm House by first-time festival performer Aar Maanta, who brings an eclectic mix of styles to the stage, with rock and reggae rubbing shoulders with traditional Arabic and Somali music. Described by young Somalis as “the voice of our generation” the pop star will bring his full band to the Palm House stage. The internationally renowned pop star’s latest album, Ubadkaa Mudnaanta Leh, which means “Children Have Priority’ was recorded with young Somali children in Minneapolis.
The musical line-up also includes Gazelleband – Palestinian oud player Reem Anbar with writer musician Louis Brehony who bring the modern traditions of the middle east to the wider world. Plus long-time Family Day friends Yemeni band Al Awadhel Band will return.
The Family Day crowd will also get the chance to experience Hawiyya Dance Company and El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe’s unique blend of Dabke and contemporary dance, while poet Ali Al-Jamri will bring a unique display of local children’s poetry and provide young visitors with the chance to add their own work.
Elias Matar will be performing interactive storytelling sessions for Family Day. Join Elias as he takes us on a journey across borders, walls, and time. Great for all ages – a chance to discover the secrets, magic, and joy of live storytelling.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is also delighted to finally welcome N3rdistan in person to the city, with a live performance at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Music Room on Thursday 7 July, as the festival launches.
In 2020, when the pandemic led organisers to programme a digital festival, N3rdistan wowed audiences with their performance from a hilltop in Andorra. The very essence of modern Arabic music, N3rdistan combine mystical tunes, compelling rhymes and a relentless flow by the charismatic Walead Ben Selim. Book N3rdistan tickets here.
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Music Room will also host another ever-popular inclusion on the festival programme,on Friday 15th July. The London Syrian Ensemble, led by composer and Ney soloist Louai Alhenawi, is a stunning collective of eight musicians and graduates from Syria’s renowned Damascus Conservatoire. This show reveals their new project, Sounds of Syria, a dynamic and emotional work, which brings to the stage new instrumental arrangements by composers from Syria and its diaspora. Book The London Syrian Ensemble tickets here.
Original poems written by diasporic Yemeni communities in the UK, and presented in both English and Arabic, will be exhibited across venues in Liverpool during the festival for Yemen in Conflict, an ongoing collaboration between Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, the University of Liverpool and the University of Leeds which asks how storytelling might heighten and enhance both political and public awareness of the situation in Yemen. The material created so far includes the creation of a new archive of transcribed and translated Yemeni oral poems and stories that addressed themes of conflict and resolution.
Other highlights of the 2022 programme already announced include Curfew, a contemporary dance production presented by Hawiyya Dance Company and El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe at Unity Theatre. Supported by British Council and Arts Council England. Book Curfew tickets here.
An exhibition by the Arab Image Foundation brings rare photographs depicting 100 years of Arab history and culture, which are never previously seen in Europe. Artists from Beirut Printmaking Studio have created new etchings in response to the photographs. The exhibition will be held at Liverpool John Moores University’s Exhibition Research Lab at the School of Art and Design alongside a new video commission by emerging British-Algerian artist Hannaa Hamdache.
A day of workshops and talks will be held at the Exhibition Research Lab on Friday 8 July. This includes a poetry workshop by Hannaa Hamdache, a printmaking workshop by artist Tarek Mourad, and a talk featuring members of the Arab Image Foundation and Beirut Printmaking Studio.
The festival offers a range of other opportunities for people to get involved through artist-led sessions, including a free family-friendly workshop at World Museum Liverpool make your own maps with artist Jessica El Mal.
Mezzo Soprano Camille Maalawy will lead a choir performance workshop in the heart of Toxteth, the centre of Liverpool’s Arabic community at Merseyside Yemeni Community Association.
The 2022 edition sees LAAF creating ‘points of connection’ outside of the city centre, and in the community. A Journey to Yemen at Merseyside Yemeni Community Association will launch Yemen in Conflict, a new publication of poetry from diasporic Yemeni communities in the UK, written in both English and Arabic. It will also feature screenings, talks and food.
Elsewhere in the programme Connecting with Yemeni Elders’ Heritage is an exciting intergenerational project that is being delivered by National Museums Liverpool alongside partners from the Yemeni community in Liverpool, and there will be opportunities to take part in this project during the festival.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and SAFAR Film Festival have curated a series of screenings at VideOdyssey in Toxteth, including a tour of contemporary Arab cinema through a diverse selection of short films which explore the 2022 SAFAR festival theme, ‘The Stories We Tell’, and a screening of Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Grave Digger’s Wife, which centres on a family facing impossible loss, and the lengths one man will go for his beloved.
The film programme is just one section of the festival using a Pay What You Can scheme for the first time, in an effort to remove any barriers for people to attend events this year.
Saturday 8 July will bring a double header of literature and spoken word events, kicking off with Comma Press’s Egypt +100 preview event bringing together featured Egyptian writers Mansoura Ez-Eldin and Ahmed El-Fakharany with their English translators Paul Starkey and Robin Moger.
Later that afternoon Liverpool Everyman Bistro will play host to a special Liverpool Arab Arts Festival version of ‘A Lovely Word’, the city’s most eclectic open-mic spoken word night.
An online programme will continue to enable audiences to explore what Liverpool Arab Arts Festival has to offer through podcasts, micro-commissions, talks and workshops. This includes a digital workshop withJessica El Mal and Elodie Sacher of A.MAL who will guide you through approaches to working with family archives.
Festival Chair Afrah Qassim says,
“It gives me so much pleasure to reveal our full, rich and exciting programme, which has been carefully created to ensure there is something for everyone, and to remove as many barriers to joining in as possible.”
“Our theme this year is all about how we create a bridge, connecting language and culture. It is about how we discover what we have in common and how we communicate, and for ten days in July, we invite you to explore these points of connection with artists from around the globe.”
For full information and to book tickets visit www.arabartsfestival.com
Listings
Thursday 7 July, 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Music
N3rdistan
£13 / £10
The festival launches with N3rdistan who combine mystical tunes, compelling rhymes and a relentless flow – the very essence of modern Arabic music.
Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room, Philharmonic Hall, Hope St, Liverpool L1 9BP
Thursday 7 July – Saturday 16 July, 11am – 4pm,
Visual art
Impressions from an Archive
Free. Closed Sun 10 July.
Collaborative exhibition by the Arab Image Foundation and Beirut Printmaking Studio
Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD
Thursday 7 July – Saturday 16 July, 11am – 4pm
Visual art
Hannaa Hamdache: Father Tongue
Free. Closed Sun 10 July
A newly commissioned video work that speaks of what it means to sit in between two cultures through the use of language
Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD
Thursday 7 July – Sunday 17 July
Visual art / poetry
Yemen in Conflict exhibition
Free
Exhibition of original poetry by the Yemeni diaspora communities in the UK across various venues in Liverpool:
- Merseyside Yemeni Community Association, 111 Beaumont St, Liverpool L8 0XA. See online for opening times.
- Toxteth Library, Windsor St, Liverpool L8 1XF. Opening times: 10am – 6pm Monday and Tuesday. 10am-4pm Saturday
- University of Liverpool, School of Law & Social Justice, Liverpool L69 7ZR – Window display
- News from Nowhere, 96 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4HY – Window display
From Thursday 7 July
ARTISTS / IDEAS / NOW
Podcast
Free
ARTISTS / IDEAS / NOW brings together leading artists, creatives and activists to address the most pressing and complex conversations of this moment. In 2022, it becomes a podcast series, inviting Arab artists to respond to the LAAF festival theme, نقطة وصل – Nuqtat Wasl – A Point of Connection.
Friday 8 July, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Workshop
Father Tongue: Poetry workshop
Free
Join artist Hannaa Hamdache for an intimate poetry writing workshop exploring our identity and heritage.
Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD
Friday 8 July, 2 – 3pm
Workshop
Printmaking workshop with Tarek Mourad
Pay What You Can
In this practical monotype workshop artist Tarek Mourad will introduce printmaking methods informed by his work as an artist and director of Beirut Printmaking Studio
Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD
Friday 8 July, 4 – 5pm
Talk: Impressions from an Archive
Free
Join members of the Arab Image Foundation and Beirut Printmaking Studio for a discussion on the process behind the exhibition, their collaboration and the relationship between archives, photography and printmaking.
Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, The John Lennon Art and Design Building, 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD
Saturday 9 July, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Family workshop
Exploring Al-Idrisi: map making workshop with Jessica El Mal
Free
Get hands on and make your own maps using printmaking in this exciting, free printmaking workshop with artist Jessica El Mal.
World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EN
Saturday 9 July, 1-2pm
Literature
Egypt +100
£4 / Pay What You Can
This special preview event will bring together featured Egyptian writers Mansoura Ez-Eldin and Ahmed El-Fakharany with their English translators Paul Starkey and Robin Moger. In association with Comma Press.
Chapters of Us, 44 Simpson St, Liverpool L1 0AX
Saturday 9 July, 4-5pm
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival x A Lovely Word
Free
Join us for this special version of ‘A Lovely Word’, Liverpool’s most eclectic open-mic spoken word night, as part of Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2022.
Liverpool Everyman Bistro, 5-11 Hope St, Liverpool L1 9BH
Sunday 10 July, 4-6:30pm
Film screening
The Stories We Tell
VideOdyssey
£5 / Pay What You Can
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and SAFAR invite you on a tour of contemporary Arab cinema through a diverse selection of short films which explore the 2022 SAFAR festival theme, ‘The Stories We Tell’.
VideOdyssey, 37-45 Windsor St, Toxteth, Liverpool L8 1XE
Monday 11 July, 5-7pm
Online talk
A.MAL Presents: Working with Family Archives from North Africa
Free
Moderated by Jessica El Mal, A.MAL presents a discussion into this topic from the perspective of food historian Salma Serry of Sufra Kitchen, artist Imane Zoubai and media scholar Elodie Sacher.
Tuesday 12 July, 6-8pm
Film screening
The Grave Digger’s Wife
VideOdyssey
£5 / Pay What You Can
Guled and Nasra are a loving couple, living in the outskirts of Djibouti city with their teenage son, Mahad. They are facing difficult times: Nasra urgently needs an expensive surgery to treat a chronic kidney disease. Guled is already working hard as a gravedigger to make ends meet: how can they find the money to save Nasra and keep the family together? Part of SAFAR Film Festival.
Wednesday 13 July,
Thursday 14 July, 6-9pm
Workshop
Arabic Song Workshop with Camille Maalawy
£4
Join Mezzo Soprano Camille Maalawy for a choir performance workshop in the heart of Toxteth, the centre of Liverpool’s Arabic community at Merseyside Yemeni Community Association.
Merseyside Yemeni Community Association, 111 Beaumont St, Liverpool L8 0XA
Friday 15 July, 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Music
London Syrian Ensemble
£13 / £10
A stunning collective of eight musicians and graduates from Syria’s renowned Damascus Conservatoire.
Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room, Philharmonic Hall, Hope St, Liverpool L1 9BP
Book The London Syrian Ensemble tickets here.
Saturday 16 July, 11am – 1pm
Online workshop
Working with Family Archives, An Encounter
£3 / Pay What You Feel
Jessica El Mal and Elodie Sacher of A.MAL will guide you through a digital space for a fruitful, collaborative exchange about approaches to working with family archives.
Saturday 16 July, 1-4pm
Book launch and event
A Journey to Yemen
Free
Join for the launch This free celebratory event at Merseyside Yemeni Community Association will launch Yemen in Conflict, a new publication of poetry from diasporic Yemeni communities in the UK, written in both English and Arabic. It will also feature screenings, talks and food.
Merseyside Yemeni Community Association,111 Beaumont St, Liverpool L8 0XA
Saturday 16 July, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Dance performance
Curfew
£10 / £8 concs
Hawiyya Dance Company and El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe present Curfew, a contemporary dance production. Curfew speaks to a world that is numbed and no longer able to respond to the constant bombardment of news, surveillance and manipulation.
Unity Theatre, 1 Hope Pl, Liverpool, L1 9BG
Sunday 17 July, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Family Day
Sefton Park Palm House
Free
The return of our closing spectacular at the Palm House featuring British-Somali musician Aar Manta; the return of the trailblazing duo from the Golan heights, TootArd; Hawiyya Dance Company and El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe; Gazelleband; Ali Al-Jamri’s al-Usra wal-Sufra project; children’s storyteller Elias Matar and more.
