Programmes
Shubbak Festival
A celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world
The Free Word Centre was an official venues for Shubbak, the capital’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world. Shubbak showcased over seventy events throughout the city from 4 to 24 July 2011. Shubbak (Arabic for 'window') offered a wide-ranging programme of visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion. Shubbak was organised and presented by the Mayor of London and sponsored by HSBC.
Events
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Past Event: Comedy in the Middle East?
Wed 20 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
A live version of the popular Little Atoms radio show with cartoonist Tarek Shahin. 2011 has seen unprecedented moves for democracy across the Middle East. But what role has satire played in this? Can humour thrive under tyranny? And can dictators allow themselves to be laughed at? Is there such thing as “Arab comedy”? …
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Past Event: The Art of Resistance in Palestine
Tue 19 Jul 2011
6:00pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Culture + Conflict present an evening of images and discussion with William Parry, author of Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine (Pluto Press 2010). 'The artwork and graffiti on Israel's separation wall,' Parry suggests, 'can be seen in many ways: as solidarity with Palestinians, a reflection of the reality of occupation, a means of voicing frustration and resistance…
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Past Event: Youssef Chahine: A Retrospective Part Two
The Sparrow, and Alexandria, Why?
Sun 17 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Youssef Chahine was a pioneer of Egyptian cinema. The recipient of many awards, including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Alexandria, Why? in 1978, and a lifetime achievement award from Cannes, his work was often controversial and brought him into conflict with the Egyptian authorities, leading to a spell in exile in Lebanon in the 1960s. This very…
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Past Event: Youssef Chahine: A Retrospective Part One
Cairo Station
Fri 15 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Youssef Chahine was a pioneer of Egyptian cinema. The recipient of many awards, including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Alexandria, Why? in 1978, and a lifetime achievement award from Cannes, his work was often controversial and brought him into conflict with the Egyptian authorities, leading to a spell in exile in Lebanon in the 1960s. This…
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Past Event: Hassan Daoud in Conversation
Thu 14 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Hassan Daoud, a novelist and journalist who was born and works in Beirut, gives his perspective on culture, politics and writing in the Middle East. Daoud is the cultural editor of Al-Mustaqbal newspaper in Beirut, and an authority on contemporary writing from the Arab world. After working in Beirut as a journalist during the civil war, he subsequently wrote for…