Hands down, we\u2019ll admit that we\u2019re slightly biased promoting this one. We\u2019re chuffed that TMR writer, friend and TMR championing aficionado, has released a new book. A Nearby Country Called Love<\/a><\/em> is both a captivating window into contemporary Iran and a portrait of the parallel fates of a man and his country\u2014a man who acknowledges the sullen and rumbling baggage of history but then chooses to step past its violent inheritance.<\/p>\n Salar Abdoh\u00a0will explore themes of translation, identity, and borders alongside yet another TMR contributor Aliyeh Ataei,<\/a> author of\u00a0The Border of the Forgotten,<\/em>\u00a0which delves into the echoes of exile and the invisible wounds of war, writing in her native language. Both will navigate the complexities of language, history, and personal narrative in a conversation moderated by Laura Brimo, a Paris-based editor and translator.<\/p>\n This event will be held in English and is co-sponsored by\u00a0Columbia Global Centers | Paris<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Institute for Ideas and Imagination<\/a>\u00a0 with the support of\u00a0The Markaz Review (TMR).<\/p>\n Feb 29 \u2014March 30, Various venues, London<\/strong> \u2014<\/strong> more info<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The 10th<\/sup> edition of AWAN, which is founded and produced by Arts Canteen<\/a>, is \u201cmore an act of defiance than a celebration,\u201d point out the organizers in the festival\u2019s brochure. \u201cDuring a time when we witness horrific injustices on our screens unrelentingly \u2013 the work, voices, and perspectives of artists become radiant beacons, casting hopeful and uplifting rays of light.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, the festival embraces a diverse range of creative projects expressed through commissions and residences, film, art, literature, performance, music, comedy, and workshops. The program certainly aims to \u201cbe in conversation with the current political and social climate we face \u2013 with a special emphasis on Gazan and Sudanese voices \u2026 We also want to clarify that \u2018women\u2019 is inclusive of all female-identifying peoples and are committed to challenging restrictive, reductive and binary stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BgPOKzj5rME&t=2s<\/p>\n Feb 28, Frontline Club<\/a>, London \u2014<\/strong>\u00a0more info<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What began as an investigation into a missing boy in northeast Syria quickly became something much bigger for journalists Poonam Taneja and Jewan Abdi.<\/p>\n The BBC reporters travelled to northeast Syria in 2022 to search for Salmaan, a young boy who went missing four years prior during the bombardment in the war against ISIS.<\/p>\n During their investigation, Taneja and Abdi met a woman in a prison camp who claimed to have known Salmaan and his mother, offering insight on where to continue their search. The journalists soon learned that this woman (called DA in the podcast before her real name, Dure Ahmed, was made public) was hiding a big piece of her identity from them.<\/p>\n Ahmed is the ex-wife of notorious ISIS fighter El Shafee Elsheikh,\u00a0<\/a>who was part of a group known as ‘The IS Beatles’ \u2014 responsible for the death of American journalist James Foley and other hostages.<\/p>\n The panel discussion includes investigative reporter Poonam Taneja<\/strong>, investigative producer\u00a0Jewan Abdi<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Beatrice Eriksson<\/strong> the co-founder of Repatriate the Children.<\/p>\n Ongoing \u2014March 10, The Mosaic Rooms, London \u2014 more info<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Be warned. This interactive exhibit may not be one you want to take the little ones to. The films playing on loop within this exhibition \u2014Suliman Elnour\u2019s\u00a0Wa lakin alardh tadur (It Still Rotates) and Ibrahim Shaddad\u2019s Jagdpartie (Hunting Party)<\/em> \u2014 reference traumatic and distressing content including scenes depicting graphic violence, death, and racial abuse.<\/p>\n That said,\u00a0Translation as Hospitality<\/em> is an installation for learning and knowledge distribution presented in London for the first time. It invites the dreams of the past to translate themselves into the present and into our collective social and political desires. The exhibition is a continued and ongoing collaboration and conversation between The School of Mutants and The Mosaic Rooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n March 1, Amman \u2014<\/strong>\u00a0more info<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The deal on this one? Every ticket you buy will support charity efforts in Gaza. Autostrad, a Jordanian Indie band formed in 2007, tackles stories of love, struggle, financial challenges, life on the street, and finding one\u2019s self in their music. Their song \u201cSay Palestine\u201d which they released two months ago with @shadizaqtan<\/a> has already had over 18K views. The song, they write on their You Tube channel, is a call to disseminate Palestine\u2019s name, scribe it, document it, capture it, splash it, and speak about it. Check them out:<\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/awan-arab-women-10th-fest-london.jpg\")
<\/a>AWAN Festival 2024: A Special 10th Edition<\/h4>\n
\nPanel Discussion: Syria’s Forgotten Children<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/The-School-of-Mutants-tah-3-1024x440-Mosaic-Rooms.jpg\")
<\/a>Translation as Hospitality<\/em> Exhibition<\/h4>\n
\n![\"Music](\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/music-for-gaza.jpg\")
<\/a>Music for Gaza \u2013 Autostrad and Luay Hijazeen<\/h4>\n