Author: mara.ahmed

Excellent screening of A Thin Wall in London

brilliant screening of #AThinWall, a #film about the #1947 #partition of british #india, at #harrowauditorium @uniwestminster #london
it was organized by #tonguesonfire the wonderful team behind the @ukasianfilmfestival 
great attendance and interview by rosie thomas, and so lovely to do the first screening ever with my co-producer and friend Surbhi Dewan 

The Overuse of ‘Emotional Labor’ Turns All Relationships Into Work

capitalism… 

‘In the degradation of the term emotional labor, we lose a crucial framework to define the taxing emotional burden of being a worker in a society that continually wants employees to believe their coworkers are “their family” so that they work harder and never want to leave their desks. But we also saddle the relationships we can form beyond the workplace, away from our obligations to work, with a similar, dreaded sense of duty. The overuse of the term emotional labor redefines our relationships, the ones we build out of care and love, into workplace disputes. Fabello writes in her script “could we connect at [a later time and date]” as if checking in with a friend in a time of need is another meeting to be scheduled with a conference room to book. More here.

with sara salem

with the brilliant and beautiful Sara Salem this morning. we had breakfast at the @thedelaunay near #holborn and talked about the idea of political correctness in the UK and US vs in-your-face racism in other european countries, the overweening dynamics of american identity vs internationalism in the UK, and much more. hope we can continue this conversation in #nyc

barbican concert: a baroque ensemble

i have to write about yesterday evening. amra and i decided to attend a #barbican #concert, by a canadian period-instrument, #baroque #ensemble: ‘#tafelmusik: love and betrayal.’ it moved seamlessly from dynamic instrumental works by #handel and #vivaldi to #opera. the absolutely astonishing canadian #soprano @karina_gauvin stunned with such moving performances that one forgot the world. 
when she sang handel’s ‘ah! mio cor’ something was unleashed inside of me and all the emotions i’ve been experiencing over the last few weeks came crashing down. the tears wouldn’t stop. i was afraid i’d start to cry uncontrollably, and was relieved when the concert shifted pace.

such is the power of brilliant #music. 

the concert took place at #miltoncourt concert hall, owned by the #guildhall school of music. what an incredible space. wood plays a central role in the hall’s design – sapele, which is often used for making instruments, produces both beautiful acoustics and aesthetics. even our clapping, which was constant and vigorous, acquired unparalleled resonance. 
it was one of the most unforgettable concerts of my life. thank you #london. 
@tafelmusikbocc @guildhallschool @barbicancentre