Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (formerly Arabic) returns to the city this year for its twelfth festival. Join a culturally rich collection of talented artists from across the Arab world from the 17th May to the 14th July. LAAF 2013 promises to be bigger and better than ever before, offering something for everyone.
The main festival runs from the 7th to the 16th June in various venues across the city and is bookended with I Exist (in some way), a major photography exhibition running from 17th May to 14th July. Expect to see work from Arab artists in a whole host of genres, including music, theatre, art, exhibitions, food, film, family activities and dance.
This year, L.A.A.F. focuses on the question of identity, the faces of Arabs today. Do those in the U.K. have a British face or an Arab face and does the dual identity add richness to the mix or merely divide and confuse? What of the Arab face in the media; if this is not a true reflection what have artists done to challenge or collude with this misconception? LAAF explores how many forms of art reflect this complex identity.
Razanne Carmey, Executive Director, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival said: “2013 sees L.A.A.F. focus on the complex and often contradictory identities (the faces) of modern Arabs. For The U.K.’s Arabs the questions are not just of British vs. Arab faces, but of conservative traditionalists vs. modernising and liberal, even rebels; they are of private faces vs. public or misunderstood faces. How U.K. Arabs deal with dual identities and how Arabs in the media react to their portrayed image. And the question for any curator, if Art is supposed to hold a mirror to life, how do you hold one mirror to so many different faces? In Liverpool, home to the oldest Arab community in the U.K. as well as the longest running Arab Arts Festival, we answer the question by holding a festival that celebrates all the faces.”
Highlights this year focus around Syria. The World Premier of Damascus Stories on 7th June offers an enchanting journey through five tales of romance, life and the slow invasion of the modern world in the late 17th and 18th century Damascus. Written by award winning Syrian author Ulfat Idilbi, Damascus Stories has been adapted for stage by Alia Alzougbi and Louai Hennawi. Commissioned by LAAF, these stories come to the U.K. for the first time.
The extremely talented Syrian singer-songwriter Lena Chamamyan will be live in concert on 16th June. Born in Damascus to Syrian-Armenian parents, Chamamyan is hugely successful in the Middle East. The show harmonises old and new, creating a wonderful blend of medieval and renaissance Arab music, with Chamamyan’s own modern spin on ancient melodies. A must see for anyone interested in classical, jazz or world music.
I Exist (in some way) is a major exhibition featuring a unique collective of work from eleven artists who explore identity in contemporary Arab society. Running from the 18th May to the 14th July, I Exist is part of the Look 13 photography festival and addresses the question ‘who do you think you are?’ through exploration of personal and collective identities in the Arab world.
F.A.C.T. and The Bluecoat will be premiering a number of films this year; do not miss the U.K. premier of Papa Heidi on 16th June, a film about the Frank Sinatra of the Arab world, created by his granddaughter, Tunisian British filmmaker Claire Benhassine. Families can expect lots of fun during the festival; down on The Pier Head is the River Festival Concert on the 9th June. Two of the stars on this year’s L.A.A.F., Egyptian dancer Caroline Afifi and Palestinian hip-hop band Katibeh 5 will join local artists for this spectacular river concert.
The ever-popular L.A.A.F. Family Day returns to Sefton Park on the 9th June, always a popular event bursting with the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of the Arab world. Live music, dance, workshops, stalls and plenty of mouth-watering food, ensure this event is a great day out for the whole family.
Alexei Sayle, Patron, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival said, “I have always been fascinated with the Arab world – its culture, politics and cuisine. We can get a very one-sided view of this world though and this great festival is an entertaining way for people to find out more about the art, music and – yes – comedy of the region and its people.”
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2013 runs from the 17th May till the 14th July.
More details on www.arabicartsfestival.co.uk