On Wed 23 March 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had a musical show at TriBeCa in Manchester. Hasan and Rami Nakhleh, two brother from the Golan Heights, returned with a jammed full of pop hooks and quarter-tone melodic lines, “Migrant Birds” unleashing a disco whirlwind that pays homage to the West Asian dancefloor scenes of the 1980’s.
On Tue 22 Mar 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had our only online event on Assad’s Prisons: The Narrative of Resistance in Lived Experience and in Literature. The talk was delivered by Jaber Baker, a novelist, researcher, former political prisoner, and human rights activist.
On Mon, 21 Mar 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had the film screening: Peace by Chocolate: Tribute to Hatem Ali at Chapeltown Picture House.
On 20 March 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, RR hosted a panel discussion on Remembering & Forgetting with Rasha Yousef and Bassel Hariri and chaired by Julia Rampen. With mass destruction of built environment, and radical transformation of people’s way of living as a result of the conflict in Syria, how can we reconstruct a vanishing past?
On Saturday 19 March 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had the pleasure to join the artist Manya Alkhmri’s workshop to make beautiful prints at contact theatre. It’s a quick print, also known as press-print, and is an easier and safer alternative to lino blocks for younger children. It’s also an ideal introduction to block printing for adults.
On Saturday 19 March 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had the pleasure of enjoying a dabke (a folk dance) session with the one & only Faris Farraj at Contact Theatre. In this session, attendees learnt the basic steps of the Tayara Dabke, the traditional folk dance from Palestine. It was a lovely event and attendees had a lot of fun.
On Saturday 19 March 2022 and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had the film screening of 2 films: (In the Eyes of Syrians: Double Vision and Sugar Cage) at Contact Theatre. The two films were followed by a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers.
Friday 18 Mar 2022 was the highlight of Celebrating Syria Festival with a music concert: Made with Magic at Contact Theatre in Manchester. Fawaz Baker and his colleagues took us on a magical music journey incorporating different areas of Syria celebrating the richness and diversity of various musical modes (maqams).
On Wednesday 16 March 2022, we were honoured to welcome Mr Jonathan Hargreaves the UK Special Representative for Syria to our centre in Manchester to discuss issues of refugees, the future of humanitarian aid and the UK continuous support for Syrian aspirations of freedom, justice and peace.
On Tuesday 15 Mar 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we were honoured to welcome Professor Dawn Chatti to talk about Syria: The Making & Unmaking of a Refuge State. The lecture took place at the University of Manchester.