MACFEST—The Muslim Arts and Culture Festival—has arrived in Manchester, returning with its most ambitious and eclectic programme to date.
Literature plays a key part in this year’s festivities, with a whole host of exciting events taking place over the next few months celebrating the power of words.
To help give you a little nudge in the right direction, we’ve picked out a few of the word-inspired highlights.
Some of Britain’s most renowned female poets will gather to recite a collection of enchanting poetry in their native language at the Whitworth Art Gallery.
Appearing will be Werda Omar reading in Somali, Tamanna Abdul-Karim reading in Bengali, Dr Shahreh Sharif reading in Farsi, Rubina Khan reading in Urdu and Hanane El Hadioue reading in Arabic.
The multilingual performances form a piece of the wider Muslim Women’s Arts Festival and will be followed by Nasheed by Dudia Zilic, Alaa Zalat, Hanane El Hadioue and Nafeesa Madani.
Kübra Gümüşay renowned author of the bestselling book Sprache § Sein (Language and Being) and founder of several award-winning campaigns will host a lively, fascinating discussion with a panel of three other incredible women.
Wardah Abbas; the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Muslim Women Times, Fawzia Koofi; a politician and women’s rights activist and Myriam Francois; a writer broadcaster and journalist will join for the special event.
Ever wondered what exactly goes into making your favourite books? An exciting panel featuring Pakistani British author Qaisra Shahraz MBE, (Founder and Executive Director of MACFEST), French translator Safiya Florence Ascoli-Ball and Indonesian publisher Sari Meutia will explore their love of books, the process of making one and the overall magic of the written word.
A collection of some of Britain’s finest poets will gather at Manchester Central Library for an evening of word-based celebration.
Boshra G, Saira Anwar and Razia Mohammed will all be on-hand to entertain and offer a deeper insight into some of their incredible work.
Join an eye-opening journey through the history of Islamic manuscripts and miniature paintings, expertly guided by Jake Benson, catalogue of Persian manuscripts at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library.
Discover how Muslims manufactured and embraced literature, from the dazzling masterpieces to the more humble work enjoyed by ordinary folk.
As part of MACFEST Youth Festival, young people from the UK will gather together for this special online event, reciting poetic works in their native tongue and in English, offering a glimpse at the next generation of literary talents.
Sun 13 Feb - Sat 2 Apr
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Thu 10 Feb 2022
Join award-winning author Rukhsana Khan for an in-depth look at how art and text combine to inspire children, as she delves a little deeper into two of her own most famous stories: King for a Day and Big Red Lollipop.