Author: mara.ahmed

Frederik’s Church, Kongens Nytorv and Agnete and the Merman

More from yesterday: a secret garden behind a restaurant; a return to Frederik’s Church and its rococo architecture; Kongens Nytorv – the largest square in Copenhagen laid out in the 17th century by King Christian V; Agnete and the Merman – bronze statues submerged in one of the city’s canals depicting a merman and his seven sons, urging his daughter Agnete to return to them (inspired by a Danish folk story, created by Danish sculptor Suste Bonnen); St. Nicholas Church’s 90-meter high spire; and the stork fountain at Hojbro Plads.

Nikolaj Kunsthal – a modern art gallery

Loved the work of Katherine Aertebjerg and Ovartaci at the Nikolaj Kunsthal, a unique modern art gallery inside the former St. Nicholas Church.

In their artwork “imagination is a tool of joy, creativity and liberation, but also the source of dark and angst-ridden sides of the complex human mind. For both artists spirituality, gender, identity, sexuality and transformation are central to their art and way of seeing the world. Both of them also suspend the boundaries between inner and outer worlds in works featuring composite figures of animals and people. Although of different generations, Aertebjerg and Ovartaci approach art as an existential investigation of life.”

Torvehallerne, Hojbro Plads and Thorvaldsen Museum

Copenhagen adventures today: Torvehallerne – a foodie hot spot where we had a cardamom bun and smorrebrod, open-faced sandwiches that are considered a national dish; the Round Tower; Hojbro Plads; Thorvaldsen Museum which celebrates the work of Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (the scale of his scultpures is breathtaking); more in next post.

Kastellet and more

Kastellet – a star-shaped fortress that was once part of the city’s defense system and is now famous for its bright red barracks; the Little Mermaid – a bronze statue commissioned by Carl Jacobsen in 1913 that’s become a symbol of the city; the Gefion Fountain – it depicts the Norse goddess Gefjon who plowed the Danish island of Zealand out of Sweden, according to legend, and transformed her own sons into oxen; Amalienborg Palace – where the Danish royal family resides today (we saw the changing of the guard); more in next post.

Rosenborg Castle and Kongens Have

Today we woke up late (jet lag), had lunch at Mevlana’s and then did this wonderful self-guided tour. We walked a lot. A lot. Here’s where we went: Rosenborg Castle (1600s) and its gardens (known as Kongens Have) – stunning public space where we saw a statue of Hans Christian Andersen; Nyboder – yellow barracks once the homes of Danish sailors and their families, now inhabited by regular folx; more in next post.

ashwaq’s beautiful son

ashwaq and i became friends in 2017 when i had a chance to invite her and others over for dinner at our house in pittsford. a young teacher from gaza, she was visiting the US thanks to a state department program. she radiated warmth and optimism. there was an immediate connection. we stayed in touch on facebook since that day.

in 2021, she participated in the warp & weft project and contributed a story in arabic about the unique problems of managing a pandemic in gaza, a densely populated concentration camp, cut off from the rest of the world. later ashwaq was kind enough to join us for a zoom meeting, where many warp & weft writers gathered, even though it was the middle of the night in palestine, that too during the month of ramadan. there had been israeli air strikes on gaza right before then. ashwaq told us patiently how she and her family had managed to survive, yet again. always gentle and gracious, my dear ashwaq.

i kept checking in on her after oct 7th. she would respond whenever she was able to get online. she was still ok. trying to leave gaza and move to canada where she has family. but the canadian government kept delaying her application. when she was finally allowed to evacuate, israel destroyed the rafah border. she was trapped along with millions of others. i kept checking in, feeling like a useless robot who offers the same empty words of concern and solidarity. like a dull broken record. do prayers actually work? do they? i don’t know.

i had not heard from ashwaq for a while. yesterday i saw the picture of a beautiful young man looking in the distance. he had been martyred. ashwaq and her family were tagged. i couldn’t breathe. my friend’s son, a vibrant young man, full of smiles, full of life, full of hopes and possibilities. gone. i saw a video of my friend praying over his body. he was wrapped in a white shroud with blood stains on it. oh god, i too have children. what horrors are these? what incomprehensible horrors. what incomprehensible pain. why are some humans permitted to act like apophis and deploy limitless hatred and savagery? what have they done? such unspeakable harm and irreversible injury. such final death. we ask for justice, god. nothing less than justice. may such evil be extinguished. ended.

may justice prevail. for my friend and millions of others. may justice shake the world to stillness and wash over us like rain.

inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.

my artwork exhibited in nyc

my artwork was exhibited for the first time in new york city, at ideal glass studios in the west village – a digital collage i created in concert with my short film, return to sender: women of color in colonial postcards & the politics of representation. i was one of 20 artists whose work was selected. the opening was last night and it was spectacular. met some wonderful people. am thankful to @tenten.nyc for showcasing my work and hope to collab more:)

an evening of poetry and music

some pictures from imagine palestine: an evening of poetry readings and music to raise funds for gaza at the @swedgemission in #rochesterny. a space full of beautiful people who shared visions of freedom for palestine, and stunning palestinian poetry in conversation with live music. a full house where we were able to raise thousands for the gaza municipality.

the struggle to decolonize is something special. it creates love and solidarity between complete strangers. it builds community <3

this will be a series of events to support and celebrate gaza and palestine. stay tuned!

organized by @unabridged.roc, mara ahmed and matthew mcdonald

see u at imagine palestine

good morning rochester! i am back and so looking forward to imagine palestine, an evening of poetry readings and music to raise funds for gaza, today at 7pm at the south wedge mission in rochester, ny. 12 artists and activists, 4 musicians, 7 poems by palestinian poets, multiple visions of palestinian futures, the reading of a beloved classic by a resistance writer, and a unique juxtaposition of silence for gaza by mahmoud darwish and musical reflections. all of it to come together in one space and provide mutual aid to the gaza municipality which is doing essential work at this moment. the event is free but pls come ready to donate and intervene in systems of oppression. see u at 7pm this evening!