Sumayia graduated from Nazareth University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. She is currently working as a Community Impact Coordinator for a Philanthropic Foundation. Sumayia is one of the brilliant women featured in the film.
Panelist Hernease Davis:
Hernease is a photo-based artist and an Assistant Curator at the Visual Studies Workshop where she develops programming that addresses contemporary conversations in the photographic arts. Hernease earned her B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and her M.F.A. in Advanced Photographic Studies from Bard College.
Panelist Urvashi Bhattacharya:
Urvashi spent the first 26 years of her life in India and professes an unwavering loyalty to the Indian cricket team and vegetarian food. While in India, she got her Masters in International Economics and an MBA but moved to the United States before embarking on her professional journey. She currently works at Syracuse University where she is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Project Management. Urvashi stars in the film along with Sumayia Islam and Fatimah Arshad.
happy birthday to my dad! my parents were unsual/ unusually progressive and completely focused on education and work in the world, rather than marriage or other societal templates or expectations. it made for an interesting life, sometimes chaotic but interesting nevertheless. my dad’s addiction to travel (which he still has) formed not only us but also our children. happy happy abbuji!
Went to see Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People at the Circle in the Square in NY last Sunday – a Broadway revival directed by Sam Gold, w Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli.
The stage is long and narrow, surrounded by audience members, lit by oil lamps, with various scenes taking place at different ends. It’s the late 1800s, we are in a Norwegian coastal town. The tone is set in the beginning, with actors singing Norwegian folk songs.
Jeremy Strong plays the protagonist, Dr Stockmann, w warmth and intensity. As my daughter said, the ensemble comes to life as soon as he steps on stage. He radiates sincerity.
The story is well-known. The economy and future of the town are intertwined with its recently opened Baths, which are meant to transform it into a health resort. Stockmann discovers that the waters are contaminated and his brother, the Mayor, goes to work doing everything he can to suppress his brother’s report and turn the townspeople against his “theories” which will destroy local businesses.
Stockmann is a typical Ibsen anti-hero – upright and courageous, yet also deeply flawed. There is a brief detour into eugenics and part of Stockmann’s crusade for the truth is activated by his arrogance, but Jeremy Strong endows him with vulnerability and earnestness, and breaks our hearts when the doctor is attacked and humiliated.
The parallels with our present reality cannot be overstated. As people are targeted, fired, silenced, and turned into pariahs for speaking the truth about settler colonialism and genocide in Palestine, we are seeing the same kind of crucifixions by ideological mobs.
I loved Strong’s performance in Succession, where he finessed his role into a complex Shakespearean character. Film is polished and controlled, whereas theater is raw, visceral, unfinished. Strong is absolutely brilliant. The end of the play is abrupt, and he was visibly shaken – still trying to sort his emotions as he took the final bow.
Amy Herzog’s adaptation is a seamless update of Ibsen’s language, a trimming down of the story and characters, and apt humor. After being pilloried by the townspeople, Stockmann thinks about moving to the US: “This could never happen in America.” Prolonged, raucous laughter from the audience.
Set design and direction are inventive, with a light touch. The town hall scene begins with a bar descending from the grid, serving Norwegian Linie with music by A-ha. Audience members gathered on stage to get drinks but then the actors appear and the town hall begins right in that setting. A fantastic crossing over of time and geography. This is what theater should be – unexpected, exhilarating, moving.
Friends, I would like to draw your attention to another gofundme, another family trying to escape the massacres in Gaza. This is Deema Dalloul, a 20-year old writer who shares her experiences of loss and displacement in the midst of a genocide in her Gaza diaries. Here is part of an entry from March 30, 2024. Pls help with whatever amount you can. Every bit matters
‘At first, I used to believe that small families are the best fit: you don’t need lots of luggage and it’s not even costly to escape at any moment. One car could be more than enough, no struggles with one room, and certainly, a single bed might do the trick. Yet, all my beliefs were altered once my friend’s twin brothers became martyrs in the south, away from all their other siblings, leaving a heartbroken family struggling to survive again with missed fractions. I realized that large families could do better in such tragedies. No matter how much effort it takes to get them in one car, or how many mattresses they might own — not to mention the food they would demand — it’s still a blessing to have someone left if (God forbid) any misfortune occurs.
Yet again, all of these reflections were to evaporate once again, after another friend told me that her family had been divided. Part of them were forced to the south, while the others remained in the northern areas. Other family members were sent to the sky sooner than they could have ever imagined. They have no way of contacting each other: they live in the continuous horror of “not knowing.” Even a tiny word can cause them to panic.’
what a wonderfully organized screening of ‘return to sender: women of color in colonial postcards & the politics of representation’ at stony brook university’s humanities institute last night. a thrill to work with liz montegary, chairperson of women’s, gender & sexuality studies at stony brook, and to be a panelist along with avina mathias and emelyn pareja-garcia who both did an internship on this project. so many amazing friends and neighbors in the audience and then dinner at ixchel mexican cuisine to end the night on a high note.
What a wonderfully organized screening of ‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation’ at Stony Brook University’s Humanities Institute. A thrill to work with Liz Montegary, Chairperson of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook, and to be a panelist along with Avina Mathias and Emelyn Pareja-Garcia who both did an internship on this project. So many amazing friends and neighbors in the audience and then dinner at Ixchel Mexican Cuisine to end the night on a high note.
i cannot believe this but my instagram account was hacked and deleted by the hacker yesterday. 6 years of postings, photos, and memories. almost 2000 followers. meta does not have a mechanism set up to contest the changing of one’s account email or phone number. one is helpless. anyway, it made me realize how ephemeral ‘online’ is. we must find more concrete, private ways of documenting, remembering, connecting, grieving or celebrating. this is my new account. pls connect if u’d like: __maraahmed
what kind of eid can it be? when the massacres in gaza continued throughout ramadan? when people were breaking their fasts with boiled grass? this is a surreal time. any joy one might feel is complicated, accompanied by a horrible sense of guilt. guilt for being ineffective, for being complicit, for being american. so many beautiful people in gaza. so many friends and their families. u are in my heart, palestine. u will be free some day soon. we will celebrate together then. inshallah.
it’s ammi’s birthday today! growing up, my mom was always the coolest mom – someone i could share everything with, someone who supported me and pushed me to excel and believe in myself. from what lycee to apply to in brussels, to living in karachi and studying at IBA, from poetry competitions and impossible jobs to my marriage to aitezaz, ammi has been the force that has sparked everything. love u and am grateful for this time together momsie <3
Earlier in February, I was contacted by Mariam Alkhateeb, a 20-year old poet and medical student from Gaza, to add her poem to the Warp & Weft Archive. I was immensely moved. I collaborated with my friend Mazin M Hameed and together we translated the poem into English from the original Arabic. I asked my dear friend Ahyeong Kim to read the poem and an audio recording was published very quickly on February 26th. Mariam is now trying to leave Gaza along with her family. As the bombings and ground invasion come closer and closer to Rafah, it is a matter of life and death. May I urge my friends to support in any way they can – not just by liking and sharing this post (pls do), but also by contributing whatever is possible here. Thank you.
beautiful video synopsis of my presentation at the @visualstudiesworkshop on march 28th by marili vaca @democratandchronicle. thank u for all ur support genae and marili <3
Repost from @democratandchronicle:
Mara Ahmed @mara__ahmed spoke at the Visual Studies Workshop @visualstudiesworkshop in Mar. 28, 2024 to discuss her most recent film ‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation’ which will be premiering May 4 at ROC Cinema @roccinema
Ahmed used archival video, film and lantern slides provided by the Visual Studies Workshop. She also created a space that allowed for open discussion and dialogue.
Ahmed’s documentaries center marginalized voices and focus on communities grappling with nuanced experiences surrounding racism, colonization and Islamophobia.
Video by Marili Vaca @marili.photography / Democrat and Chronicle
a visit with dear shafqat aunty this morning, my khalajan’s best friend, with wonderful connections to both my family and my husband’s. thank u for making my visit possible dear ayesha. may aunty continue to be a strong and loving presence in our lives <3
