Wed, 03 Apr
|The Arab British Centre
How Do We Resist Censorship?
Join us for a discussion on creating political work and resisting censorship, with a particular focus on Palestine.
Time & Location
03 Apr 2024, 16:00 – 18:00
The Arab British Centre, 1 Gough Square, London EC4A 3DE, UK
About the event
There are great challenges facing all artists making political work in the current climate, with increasing pressure on Palestinian work. Whilst it may seem bleak, we can come together and support one another.
Join us for an intimate forum with invited speakers designed to inform and resource you for resisting the increasing constraints on freedom ofexpression and to show solidarity and ally ship .The second half of the event invites attendees to contribute with their experiences, challenges or insights. We particularly encourage Palestinian members of the community and their allies to book in for this event.
It is limited to 30 spaces so make sure you book your place! Tickets are £5 and all proceeds will go to Thilal, a grassroots group who organise trauma-informed children’s workshops in Jabalia, Northern Gaza.
We kindly ask you to only attend if you have read and agree to our values statement, which can be found here: https://www.menaarts.uk/value-statement
Our Speakers:
Zoe Lafferty
Zoe Lafferty is a director and writer for theatre & digital work . She has toured productions to 40+ stages in the UK & 20+ countries, including the Schaubühne Berlin, Skirball New York, and Young Vic London. Projects currently on tour include; play And Here I Am by Hassan Abdulrazzak, virtual reality film In A Thousand Silences, digital piece Mayday and a collation of testimonies The Revolution’s Promise. Zoe is the Associate Artistic Director at The Freedom Theatre & founder of Artists On The Frontline. www.zoelafferty.co.uk www.artistsonthefrontline.com www.thefreedomtheatre.org www.theculturalintifada.com
Hassan Abdulrazzak
Hassan Abdulrazzak is a writer of Iraqi origin, born in Prague and living in London. His plays include The Special Relationship (Soho Theatre, 2020), And Here I Am (Arcola Theatre, 2017 and touring), Love, Bombs and Apples (Arcola Theatre, 2016 and UK tour; Golden Thread, San Francisco, 2018 followed by a second UK tour; Kennedy Centre, Washington DC, 2019), The Prophet (Gate theatre, 2012) and Baghdad Wedding (Soho Theatre, London 2007; BBC Radio 3, 2008; Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney 2009; Akvarious productions, Delhi & Mumbai 2010).
Hassan has worked with the Freedom Theatre and Collective Ma’louba. He has translated numerous Arabic plays to English by playwrights such as Jawad Al-Assadi, Hanane Hajjali, Mudar Alhaggi, Abdullah Alkafri and Wael Qadour.
Marina Barham
Marina Barham is cofounder and General Director of Al-Harah Theater, President of the Palestinian Performing Arts Network from 2019-2021 and a member in IETM Board 2023. She has been an active cultural operator in Palestine, the Middle East and in Europe since 1998. A Fellow of ISPA & Salzburg Global Seminar. IETM Global Connector 2021.
Marina has been a trainer in the field of Cultural Management in the Arab World since 2006 with Al Mawred Resource, Tamasi Collective and Goethe Institute in Berlin and in Palestine. A speaker at several international conferences, festivals & events.
She has produced many theater productions for the last 23 years, managed several international, regional & local tours & Euro Med Projects, and curated Palestine International Theater Festival for Children and Youth, Yalla Yalla Street Festival, & Bethlehem Site-Specific Theatre Festival in Palestine.
Taghrid Choucair-Vizoso
Taghrid Choucair-Vizoso is a curator, producer, artist and facilitator who has worked across contemporary performance, multi-art form festivals, participatory arts, and programmes between the UK & SWANA region. She recently joined Julie's Bicycle as the Head of Programmes. Prior to JB she was Joint CEO at Shubbak Festival, where she was committed to forging more just cultural ecologies; developing collaborative and decolonial curatorial approaches and artistic development opportunities that reduce social inequality and access barriers to the arts. She is passionate about the transformative power of the arts and policy to mobilise for social and climate justice; particularly in relation to the liberation of indigenous peoples and freedom of expression and movement. She continues her artistic practice working closely with collaborators in Gaza and organises within the context of Palestinian cultural resistance. She is also committed to transforming our extractive relationship to the earth and encouraging avenues for renewed connection to nature.