non-linear time: evening at a friend’s house where i got to meet all my girlfriends, dynamic convos at spot coffee this morning, afternoon tea with a friend who taught me all about manga and anime, and lunch at peppa pot jamaican cuisine.
yesterday at hydra coffee, zemeta’s, and basha mediterranean eatery with these beautiful friends <3
just the thinnest, most imperceptible line, between sky and water <3
with our daughter in nyc: tacombi (amazing fish tacos) last night, la parisienne (meh) this morning, followed by a walk around FiDi. this evening, a play at james chapel and then thai food with lovely friends <3
tomorrow lunch with the kids at @bkjani’s in brooklyn before heading back to long island
my dear uncle razi has passed away. verily we belong to god and to god we return.
he was my friend saba’s father. when i was studying at university in karachi, saba’s family was like my own family. i stayed with them often and learned consistently from saba’s wise and compassionate parents.
he was the embodiment of what we call a strong pillar of the community. in many ways, his story as a young man tracked the story of pakistan.
he was barely 15 at the time of partition, when his family left everything behind in india and settled in karachi, pakistan. he joined the navy and since every institution in the newly created state of pakistan had to be built from scratch, he was sent to england to train with the british navy. he was 17 when he left his family and headed for an entirely new country, culture, and language. he was a midshipman when elizabeth II was crowned in 1953. he remembered the naval review at spithead that accompanied the coronation.
in 2019, he did us the great honor of visiting us in rochester. i got to spend time with him and wrote about the remarkable stories he shared with me.
we ate out, went for a walk on the bridge by high falls, saw a film at the dryden theatre, went to canandaigua lake for a day. it was magical. my favorite part was sitting at the kitchen table and listening to him.
last year, i was able to visit karachi after some 16 years, and i got to see uncle razi again. saba and i had tea at his beautiful house. he received us at the door, smiling as always, impeccably dressed, with all the formalities and lavish treats pakistani tea aspires to. he had created a new group of friends and acquaintances, all over 80, who would meet regularly and enjoy one another’s company. he organized presentations on pressing medical needs, financial management, wills and real estate planning for the elderly. he was a force. unanimously admired and loved. a role model. something rare in this day and age.
u will be sorely missed by many dear uncle razi. still cannot believe u are no longer here. may u continue to excel and bring people together in heaven. inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
it’s unexpectedly cold on long island, so much so that it feels like rochester. il fait un froid de canard comme on dit on français. but it was sunny yesterday so i bundled up and went for a walk at frank melville park right here in setauket. cold cold cold but so beautiful. nature has a way of cleansing our minds and healing our bodies. this is why the remarkable people of gaza return to the sea whenever they can. in the midst of human violence and ugliness, nature stays constant and spiritually nourishing.
Wendy Shaw (Ph.D. UCLA, 1999) is Professor of the Art History of Islamic cultures at the Free University Berlin. Her work focuses on the impact of coloniality on art-related institutions, modern art and pre-modern discourses of perception, with emphasis on the Ottoman Empire and regions of Islamic hegemony.
Watch Wendy Shaw’s 30-min lecture for Noqtah, an Instagram Live Series organized by AMCA (Association for Modern + Contemporary Art of the Arab World, Iran + Turkey) here. It was originally posted on Oct 26, 2020.
dear friends, it’s my birthday tomorrow. there is no reason to celebrate in the midst of a genocide, but if u think of me tomorrow could i urge u to make a donation to MECA (some food trucks are still entering gaza) and to palestine legal.
we are fighting two battles simultaneously: 1) the battle for an immediate permanent ceasefire and critical humanitarian support for people in gaza, and 2) the protection of speech on justice in palestine and legal help for those who are the most vulnerable in our society (palestinians, arabs, muslims, people of color, immigrants, refugees, students, those facing job insecurity and economic precarity, etc).
this is the time to come together and take action. solidarity is safety.
So grateful for these beautiful people, their work, and their voices. Thank you Jeremy Dennis, Minerva Perez and Brenda Simmons for the important conversation we had today after the screening of ‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation’ at @southamptonartscenter. Thank you Christina Strassfield and her team at SAC for all their work and support. We need more such conversations on Long Island followed by a lot more action.
There is no excuse, absolutely none, for being uneducated on Palestine. A brilliant reading list from Black Women Radicals ????
Repost from @blackwomenradicals:
We, who believe in freedom, we as Black feminists who believe in freedom –– freedom from white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, transphobia, queerphobia, ableism, and other oppressions –– unabashedly believe in and stand in solidarity for a free Palestine.
We created a reading list that offers a brief primer on the radical Black feminist political mandate, which is solidarity with Palestine.
what a treat to spend a day with this beautiful human! from IBA (karachi) to grown-up life in the US, we’ve come a long way baby 🙂 love u jalila. may u always shine and continue to bring ur brilliance, humor, honesty and kindness to our world <3
i have been so insanely busy working on talks, an art exhibition and a film, and promoting as well as collaborating on the execution of numerous events, that i have not spent much time simply hanging out with ammi abbu. last night i took a small break. made some barbecue chicken pizza and a big salad with a spicy mango dressing. then watched mughal-e-azam (1960) with my parents. an indian classic set in emperor akbar’s court, the film is kitschy of course and requires the suspension of disbelief, but i have to say, i was captivated by madhubala. her real name was mumtaz jehan begum dehlavi. she was born in delhi in 1933. not just a beauty. there’s something magnetic about her screen presence. the film is two hours long and we were up until midnight but what a lovely way to spend an evening with my ammi abbu. #grateful
the wedding yesterday – so good to see our friends again and celebrate together <3
guess where we are peeps. so good to be home <3
aug 13: when u see ur dearest friend from toronto after 5 years and ur grown up daughters get to spend time together <3
aug 19: spent a relaxing day in northport with my lovely taz. we had lunch at bistro 44, walked around town and talked about our lives. there’s nothing as fortifying or delightful as the company and wisdom of a true friend.
