Category: local

sunken meadow state park

went to #sunkenmeadowstatepark this morning. just 20 min from our place and such a wonderful beach and boardwalk! boardwalks are one of my favorite things in life, pretty much. but there were too many people there so we changed course and walked through the park. there was this broken fence in front of a fragrant bunch of wilderness and its heady scents of nascent spring took me back to my childhood in brussels, when we would wait for such a sunny day to go explore and stay outdoors for as long as we could. magic.

The ‘Sultana’s Dream’ Project by Chitra Ganesh and the Importance of Muslim Feminisms

i wrote this in the middle of our move, because it means that much to me.
a new exhibit based on the work of radical bengali feminist rokeya hossain is now at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester (until june of this year). that’s something to rejoice, except that hossain’s muslim identity is completely erased in the discourse about the project both on MAG’s website as well as in artist chitra ganesh’s description of the work on her own website.

this erasure is particularly jarring at a time of anti-muslim progroms in india as well as the weaponization of the pandemic (it’s being called covid jihad) to stoke islamophobia.

here’s more.

selling to neighbors

i have to write about this. so we are moving to long island on april 8th, inshallah, and i have been selling a lot of stuff on fb at fairly low prices – from a treadmill to a yamaha piano, to bedroom furniture, bookcases, cameras, skis and bikes. i’ve also donated tons: i post on fb, add pictures of the stuff, and people come and pick it up for free. there is plenty of social distancing as they help themselves from shelves in my garage, with no human contact at all. it’s been one of the loveliest experiences ever.

not only did i get to meet a large number of my rochester neighbors (an extremely diverse group based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, and more) but i also got to know their stories and their visions for the stuff they’re picking up.

some send me pictures of how they’re using those things in their homes. one young guy and his wife bought two bookcases, then joined them to another piece of furniture, added moulding, painted everything, and created a gorgeous entertainment center. he messaged me photographs.

it does my heart good to see how my things, which were loved and cared for, will have another life after they leave our home, that someone else will use them and cherish them as well. they are only things of course, but this opportunity to share with our community has been incredibly joyful.
many times when people buy one thing, i give them another for free. someone bought a camera, i gave them a tripod for free. the reactions are priceless, unforgettable. i love rochester so much, and this has been a life-affirming way of saying goodbye.

the fb groups i used:

rochester online garage sale
rochester craiglist

Film Discussion to Explore Legacy of 1947 Partition, As Anti-Muslim Violence Surges In India

so a screening of ‘a thin wall’ followed by a community discussion at Douglass Auditorium at 36 King St. was cancelled on march 14th, in accordance with NYS coronavirus guidelines. we hope to reschedule some time in the future.

in the meantime, Darien Lamen spoke to Hibah Arshad, Thomas Gibson and i, and put together this excellent intro to the community conversation we hope to have. pls read/listen here.

panic and shortages

i am not an alarmist and i like to take things as they come, so today i went to wegmans for my weekly shopping and it was freaky. all the meat is gone, most of the canned goods, no cooking oil, no rice, no pasta, no garbage bags. i didn’t check the TP situation. this is extreme. people should buy what they need. it’s irresponsible to create shortages, as some might actually need that food right now. urgently. also, when people are gripped with fear, those in power will, inevitably, institute harsh authoritarian measures and trample on rights and protections. the process started a long time ago in the US, but this latest crisis (much like the war on terror) will allow robber barons and their state/defense machine to go into overdrive. let’s remember the shock doctrine and use our own calm common sense and compassion in the weeks to come. it will make all the difference.

dinner at maysaa’s

last night my beautiful friend Maysaa treated us to some exquisite iraqi, syrian and lebanese food. gorgeous salads to start with (fattoush and tabbouleh), kibbeh, dolma mahshi (stuffed onions) and dolmas made with grape leaves, fatayer with cheese, spinach and meat, and finally rice and qeema (a stew with chickpeas and ground beef, traditionally served during muharram). for dessert, we had warbat which reminded me of baklava (just as crispy, filled with custard or pistachios, walnuts, and almonds), and halawet el jibn (made with cheese dough, filled with cream, drenched in sugar syrup and rose water) – to die for. what a feast and what wonderful conversation. thank u so much maysaa and mazin.

‘books sandwiched in’ at wood library

spoke about ‘citizen: an america lyric,’ part of ‘books sandwiched in’ at wood library in #canandaigua today. discussed the book (with a clip from an interview with claudia rankine), the idea of #microaggressions, the toll they take on the body, and how my film #TheInjuredBody was inspired by the book. shared some clips from the film and explained how dance, the muscular contraction of the body, and breathing are important themes in the film. the Q & A was particularly lively with some resistance to microaggressions i shared as examples. will write more about that. but the library’s director realized how such convos were badly needed, and asked for names of activists and speakers. i guess that’s a step forward. here i am with jenny goodemote the library’s executive director.