Beit El Sennary

In Nini ya Momo do, Soukaina Habiballah interweaves the voice of a grandmother and her granddaughter, who speak to each other through the absence of the mother. The first is haunted by postcolonial trauma; the second, by postpartum depression. On stage, Soukaina intertwines the Arabic and English versions of the cycle of poems: as if the two voices were alternating in her own body, her own psyche as a poetess — as if the two women were living inside her.

The Arab World is rich in resources and culture – and just as plentiful are the many festivals taking place throughout the region; some independent, others sponsored by governments or backed by the public sector.  In this talk entitled Festivals and Audiences in the Arab World, [ speakers ] will map the festivals in the region to first establish an understanding of what exists and where, and of the resources available to these different cultural endeavors. From there will begin a discussion of why these festivals work in silos, and why there are such substantial gaps between them: within each country, within the region, and on an international level.

As part of its Arab Arts Focus program, D-CAF will host a Theatre in Translation Seminar addressing the intricacies of translating theatre texts into Arabic. Should the text be translated into Modern Standard Arabic for speakers of different dialects to understand? Or should they be translated into specific dialects to spark connection and familiarity between the reader and the text? What about artistically? Does the translator need to be aware of theatre as a discipline to maintain the text’s spirit? What gets lost, and what is gained throughout this process of translation? How can a text have several lives in different languages, but maintain its authenticity?