Ahla friends,
Spring finally showed up and decided to stay, which means I've been outside more than inside and the events on the website have been doing heavy lifting for my social calendar. No complaints
Small favor: I want to know if you actually use the website, or if you're a newsletter-and-done person. No judgment either way, I built it for you and I want to make sure it's actually useful, I’ve added the questions at the end of this email to not disrupt your experience.
Samar
THE SHORTLIST
Handpicked events worth showing up for
DOCUMENTARY
One In a Million
Sun April 26th at 5pm
Museum of The Moving Image, Astoria
Filmed over 10 years, this documentary follows Israa, a Syrian girl the directors first met in 2015 selling cigarettes on a street corner in Izmir, from age 11 all the way to 21, through the boat to Greece, the new life in Germany, and eventually back to Aleppo. Co-directed by Syrian filmmaker Itab Azzam, who fled Damascus herself in 2011, it won both the Audience Award and Directing Award at Sundance this year, and rightly so.
MUSIC
Gaida & Ensemble: Syrian Folk
Sunday April 26th, 7:30-9:30pm
Funoon, Greenpoint
Damascus-raised, Gaida has been called the Syrian Nightingale, and the comparisons that follow her around are Umm Kulthum and Warda, which tells you everything. She sings in the classical Arabic maqam tradition but improvises like a jazz vocalist, and her ensemble (oud, qanun, buzuq, frame drum, the works) holds it all together beautifully. One of those evenings you leave feeling unclenched.
TALK
Earth Love Fest ft Amer Jandali
Sun April 26th
House of Yes, Bushwick
Amer Jandali who's been active in NYC nightlife + sustainability organizing for years, is back for their 4th year presenting, this time the Nightlife Climate Constellation program as part of Earth Love Fest by House Of Yes. An afternoon of reflection, intention and fun.
CINEMA
Palestinian Film Festival
April 26-28th, various sessions
Stony Brook University, Long Island
18 films across three days free and open to all. The program is dense and intentional: The Voice of Hind Rajab, From Ground Zero, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, It's Bisan From Gaza and I'm Still Alive, Who Killed Shireen?, and twelve more. Yes, Long Island is a commute, but this is the kind of programming that doesn't happen often, certainly not for free. Pre-register to hold your spo.
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ART
Artists Of the MIddle East: 1900 to Now w Saeb Eigner
Wed April 29th, 6:30-8:30pm
Asia Society, UES
Arab art specialist Saeb Eigner joins Asia Society to talk about his new book, a 400-page, 250-artist survey of modern and contemporary art from Morocco to Iran, spanning 120 years. From early modernists like Shafic Abboud and Gazbia Sirry to Mona Hatoum and Shirin Neshat, it's one of the most comprehensive attempts to map our region's art on its own terms, not as a footnote to Western movements. Eigner co-curated the British Museum's 2006 Word into Art show, so he knows the material cold
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WORKSHOP
Tatreez Circle W Sabri
Thurs April 30th at 7pm
Atelier Dalal, Greepoint
An open-studio tatreez circle led by Palestinian-American artist Sabri Sundos. Bring a project in progress or start something new, Sabri will be there to help refine technique, untangle the tricky patterns, and share knowledge. Need pre-requisites.
THE FREE ONE
One free event that got us excited
ART-DANCE
MEmBLADy: Embodying The Blad By Esraa Warda
Through June 7th, Weekends 12-6pm
City Lore, LES
Algerian-American dance artist Esraa Warda asks the question I keep coming back to: what does our body remember that our writing can't? With Muyassar Kurdi, she filmed six Algerian women dancing in their homes and turned it into an installation that treats muscle memory as archive. Bonus: video tutorials in the space so you can learn traditional Algerian dance on the spot..
— Want to explore more events? —
menna website
COMMUNITY DISPATCH
People, projects, and news from across the community
Ayoon & OSAY Bring SWANA To Carroll Gardens
I just love it when SWANA brands team up. Introducing:
Ayoon, the lifestyle concept store in Carroll Gardens, is one of those quietly special places. A warm, beautifully curated space by American-Yemeni Afradh, with pieces from Egypt, Turkey, and beyond, jewelry, textiles, art, apparel, objects, all chosen with real intention. What I love most about it is who actually walks through the door. The neighborhood is mostly non-SWANA, and Ayoon has been gently introducing our region to them, one object at a time. That's a kind of cultural work that doesn't get talked about enough.
OSAY is the ethical footwear label co-founded by Kenza Fourati, Tunisian model turned craft champion. Their signature La Babouche is handmade in a small Tunis atelier by master artisans, 24 hours of work for a single pair. Kenza has spent years using her platform to build things with purpose, and OSAY is where that really lives. Limited edition, super comfy, super cute.
For this collab, Kenza curated a selection of Tunisian pieces and brands for Ayoon, things that are hard to find on this side of the ocean. I just loooove the one-of-a-kind fur vest made with vintage handmade bridal belts (genuinely a piece of art), the calligraphy golden cuffs, and of course the new OSAY collection (all in the pic above, you're welcome). I also have my eye on an off-white denim jean that is clearly the best decision I'll make this Spring, but this newsletter has pic space limits and, sadly, so does my bank account.
Two women, two worlds, one shared belief that the things we bring into our homes and onto our bodies should come with a story and a conscience.
Full disclosure: neither the website nor the Instagram will convince you.
The store, however, absolutely will. 331 Smith Street.
— Want to explore more events? —
menna website
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
Initiatives that got us excited
An Egyptian Tarot Retreat In The Heart Of Tuscany
There's a quiet wave of SWANA women reclaiming spiritual practices that our grandmothers probably did in a less Instagrammed way, reading coffee cups, interpreting dreams, knowing things they weren't supposed to know. Leila, half Irish, half Egyptian and a New Yorker, is part of that wave, just with a tarot deck and significantly better lighting. She's also a reader of this newsletter. that’s how we connected and became friends.
This June, she's hosting Elemental Tarot, a six-day retreat on an organic olive oil farm in Tuscany, June 7–12. The structure is cool: the four elements: earth, water, fire, air as a framework for the tarot work. Days are a mix of workshops, 1:1 Tarot readings, activities, pool, wine ritual, local market visits, olive oil tasting or doing absolutely nothing (arguably the whole point) or Tuscan evenings. You know the drill. It's all-inclusive, lodging, food, experiences, classes, with three pricing tiers depending on the room: $1,500 to $2,000.
This one's for you if you've been curious about tarot but didn't know where to start, if you're already reading and want to go deeper, or if you simply need to put your body somewhere green for a week. Beginners and experienced readers both welcome. Leila is wonderful, sunny, bubbly with a true passion for her craft and the setting is Maraviglia, which, name aside, looks like a place designed to unclench your shoulders.
For our readers, Leila is offering a $300 off available for two weeks only, you will need to share the promocode “MENNA” when signing up here
Learn more
Leila’s Instagram
To better days -
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— Menna curates cultural content and events for informational purposes only. Event details are subject to change—
