Category: activism

Feminists speak up

Out of the 1.9 million people displaced in Gaza, close to one million are girls and women. An estimated 9,000 Palestinian women have been killed by Israeli forces so far. That’s a rate of 63 women killed every day. There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with over 180 giving birth daily, without any anesthesia or meds or fully functional hospitals. An estimated 37 mothers are killed daily, leaving their families devastated and their children with diminished protection — at least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or have been separated from their relatives since the beginning of the genocide on October 7th. There is no food or water and most of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed. A man-made famine is setting in. At least 20 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza. The time to speak up is now.

Wangechi Mutu’s work

I have loved Kenyan American artist Wangechi Mutu‘s beautiful and unsettling work for decades now, and I had missed her solo exhibition ‘Intertwined’ at the New Museum, so it was a thrill to see it in New Orleans @neworleansmuseumofart. “Representing the full breadth of her practice, this exhibition encompasses painting, collage, drawing, sculpture, film, and performance. Mutu first gained acclaim for her collage-based practice exploring camouflage, transformation, and mutation. She extends these strategies to her work across various media, developing hybrid, fantastical forms that fuse mythical and folkloric narratives with layered sociohistorical references… Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined traces connections between recent developments in Mutu’s sculptures and her decades-long exploration of the legacies of colonialism, globalization, and African and diasporic cultural traditions.“ I loved the Subterranean series (a stunning fusion of woman and nature) and was moved by Mutu’s work on the Rwanda genocide which is displayed on a ‘wounded wall’ full of bullet holes rubbed with blood-red pigment. Reminded me of Gaza.

palestine solidarity in nola

yesterday brunch at satsuma cafe on dauphine street and a walk around the neighborhood where i found a beautiful palestinian flag. knocked at the door to thank the homeowner and met mark, a retired lawyer, who feels enraged by the genocide going on in gaza and wants to make his solidarity public. we talked for a while and he gave me his card: “u have a friend in new orleans now”

a trip to the kolaj institute

today i got to meet madera rogers-henry of the recycle project and ric kasini kadour of the kolaj institute – a side of new orleans, its art scene, and people i’d love to learn more about. yummy brunch at who dat coffee and fabulous dinner at N7. drove to riverbend (violet) and passed thru this pecan tree tunnel. this morning we saw wonderful views of the city from crescent park. nola has such a chill, artsy vibe. but u know what truly aligned things for me in a big way? the free palestine graffiti i found all over the city. i’d love to create art here!

A Thin Wall in Ahmedabad, India

Screenings of A Thin Wall are coming up in Ahmedabad, India! Pls attend if you are in the area. Repost from @arthshila_ahmedabad:

Arthshila Ahmedabad’s Film Showcase this week features A Thin Wall by Mara Ahmed

A Thin Wall is a documentary about memory, reconciliation, and the Partition of India. It focuses on a unique event but derives lessons that remain urgently relevant today.

23 Feb 2024 | 5:30 pm
24 – 25 Feb 2024 | 11:30 am

Venue: Arthshila Ahmedabad, 2-G, opposite Ahmedabad Management Association, Panjrapol, Ambawadi – 380015

A Thin Wall in Islamabad

Ready for a post screening discussion and Q&A this morning at 8:30am, following a screening of A Thin Wall at @theblackholeislamabad where it was 6:30pm. Great convo with Osama Malik, who made this event happen, followed by brilliant questions from the audience. They had to do with nation states, porous borders, the imagining of alternative futures, and my own personal views about the partition. TBH is a non-profit that strives to be an open-to-all educational and cultural space in Islamabad. Such a pleasure to connect with incredible people and places in Pakistan

Forgot to take a screenshot when on Zoom, but here is the YouTube video

Check out the stunning chalk art in Islamabad

Support Nadine’s GoFundMe

As we watch daily war crimes unfold in Gaza, it’s sometimes hard not to feel helpless – not to be able to stop the atrocities or help people on the ground in a direct way. Here is one such opportunity. I have been posting poems by Palestinian poets every other day since December. One of those beautiful poems, Whispers of Resistance, was written by Gaza poet and writer Nadine Murtaja when she was 18 years old. It was read by my friend Zoe Lawlor. Nadine is 20 years old now. She was studying at the school of dental medicine in Gaza when everything turned to dust last October. She wants desperately to leave Gaza and continue her studies in Egypt. She has put together this gofundme campaign while living in hell and under constant attack. Pls consider donating anything you can and share widely. It’s a way to intercede directly, assure her safety, and make her dreams come true.

Here is the link.

[This is the picture Nadine sent me for the poetry archive, before Gaza was decimated by the Israeli army and its mercenaries]

Ahmed launches Warp & Weft Palestine

From Mariam Sandhu: My dear friend, fellow artist, activist, filmmaker and humanitarian Mara Ahmed has expanded a project started in 2020 entitled “Warp & Weft” to highlight the voices of the Palestinian people and the horrific situation that is unfolding in front of the entire world’s eyes. It is a compilation of Palestinian poems given voice by fellow activists and artists. I am just one ordinary human asked to participate – join us in raising the voices of the Palestinian people by following her IG account @Warpandweftarchive

Read the article by Rajesh Barnabas in the Anarchist Federation

A Thin Wall at the Partition Museum in Delhi

There will be a screening of our film “A Thin Wall” at the Partition Museum in Delhi on January 27th. Pls attend if you are in the area:

The Partition Museum presents a film screening of “A Thin Wall,” a documentary about memory, history and the possibility of reconciliation, with co-producer Surbhi Dewan who will be in conversation with a panel consisting of author Dinesh Shrinet, film critic Murtaza Ali Khan and poet Roshni Gupta. The discussion will be moderated by educator Pallavi Singh.

The screening and discussion will be held on Saturday, 27th January, from 10:30am to 1:30pm at the Dara Shukoh Auditorium, Partition Museum, Delhi.

Registration is needed.

Date: Saturday, 27th January

Time: 10:30am to 1:30pm

Location: Dara Shukoh Library, inside Dr. BR Ambedkar University, Lothian Road

Queries: eventsdslb@gmail.com

Website: www.partitionmuseum.org

MLK rally in Mineola

I have a dream: For Liberation from the Congo to Palestine – at an MLK rally in Mineola (which marked 100 days of the ongoing genocide in Gaza) where I was honored to speak about the “triple evils” of racism, poverty, and militarism, and reference the work of both Dr. King and Cedric Robinson who taught us the meaning and deadly implications of racial capitalism:

“Racial capitalism explains why the US and UK are bombing Yemen to protect shipping lanes, but refuse to protect the lives of Brown children in Gaza.

Racial capitalism explains why the House passed a $14.5 billion package in additional aid to Israel. The understanding is that Israel will spend that money on US bombs, and redirect taxpayers’ money (which is publicly owned) into private pockets.

Racial capitalism is why the impulse to ‘empty’ Gaza went hand in hand with bids for gas exploration along its coastline.

In the same way, the intersection between racism, the creation of ethnic divisions by colonial powers, and non-stop capitalist extraction, has led to horrors in the Congo.

In Sudan too, the atrocities that we are seeing emerge from a divide and rule policy that created conflict and facilitated colonial theft. 

Whether it’s the domestic policing of Blacks, immigrants, and Muslims, increased incarceration and border security, or racist wars such as the war on terror or the war on drugs, we always return to the unholy alliance between racism, economic exploitation, and military violence.”

Thank you dear Farhana Islam for inviting me and thank you dear Nia Adams for introducing me to Farhana <3