Expressions of Justice: Literature Vs. the Genocide in Gaza

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Wednesday, 24th July 2024 | 19:00 - 21:00

 

 

As a genocide is committed in Gaza, transmitted live via global media for the world to see, many writers and artists feel paralyzed and insignificant. Although many sounded their voices in protest and solidarity, some looked the other way, and the big questions were raised again: Is there a role for art and literature to play in stopping the catastrophe? What can a writer or an artist do in the face of urgent crises? Should they be mere witnesses? Maintain their silence? Become activists? In such moments, can there be, truly, an art for art's sake?

 

These burning questions will be the launching ground for a panel discussion with Hisham Bustani (political theorist, poet, activist) and Atef Alshaer (literary historian, poet, academic), moderated by Sarah Tamimi.

 

The panel will highlight some of the poetry that is coming out of Gaza today, shed a light on its artistic scene, and present readings on and from the genocide.

 

 

SPEAKERS:

Hisham Bustani is a Jordanian award-winning author of fiction, poetry, hybrids, and decolonial theory, combining the worlds of literature and in-practice activism, research, and scholarship. He holds a PhD in politics from the University of Westminster, and has written extensively on issues of justice, colonialism, and liberation. His many books include The Monotonous Chaos of Existence, The Perception of Meaning, and (Dys)functional Polities: The Limits of Politics in the Postcolonial Arab Region.

 

Atef Alshaer is a senior lecturer in Arabic Studies at the University of Westminster. He is also a poet and translator who grew up in Gaza. His published books include Love and Poetry in the Middle East: Love and Literature from Antiquity to the Present, Language and National Identity in Palestine: Representations of Power and Resistance in Gaza, Poetry and Politics in the Modern Arab World, and A Map of Absence: An Anthology of Palestinian Writing on the Nakba.

 

Sarah Tamimi is a journalist by trade and a legal researcher by training. She is currently a legal researcher at the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) and has previously worked with multiple international media outlets covering breaking news and politics. Sarah holds an MA in International Law from SOAS, University of London and a BA in Journalism, from the American University in Dubai.

 

 

 

Book your spot via the link below: