Creativity in Community & Sorority | Institut du Monde Arabe with Banat Collective x Niswa x WikiGender

Creativity in community and sorority | Filmed on the 6th of March 2020 at l'IMA in Paris, France. Zainab Alradhi, founder of Niswa.org (@niswaorg) a multi-media platform dedicated to the advancement of autonomy for women (Saudi Arabia) ; Farah Barqawi, writer, and cofounder of the Arabic version of the WikiGender platform that is dedicated to the advancement of equality between men and women and founder of The Uprising of Women In The Arab World movement (Palestine); and Sara Bin Safwan, founder of Banat Collective (@srasfwn), created ”in response to the lack of visibility of women artists and dialogue over their status in the MENA region” (United Arab Emirates).

InterviewsSara SafwanApril 4, 2020panel, video, interviewComment

Dreaming Banat: Female Entrepreneurship in the UAE. A Cinema Akil x Banat Collective collaboration.

Join Cinema Akil and Banat Collective for a panel discussion following the screening of DREAM, GIRL, a documentary showcasing the stories of inspiring and ambitious female entrepreneurs. The panel brings together three female entrepreneurs from the UAE, moderated by Banat Collective founder Sara Bin Safwan, to discusses the challenges and triumphs of being a female entrepreneur in the Middle East.

Panelists:
Priya Bhatia – Hautletic; Lujain Abulfaraj – Twothirds Design & WTD Magazine; Darah Ghanem – Follow the Halo; The panel is curated and moderated by Sara Bin Safwan – Banat Collective

About Banat Collective

Banat collective is a creative community made in response to the lack of artist spaces and discussions about womanhood in the Middle East and North Africa region. However, we aim to be inclusive of all nationalities and genders to promote peace and balance within our community. Our platform aims to support creatives seeking to produce, collaborate and share their work with the world.

In a time where constant media misrepresentation is in our news feeds, the collective seeks to rethink the ways which we perceive women of color through showcasing contemporary art, poetry and writings through online content, print, exhibition-making, and events. We believe that art is the most ideal and useful tool to spread awareness that goes beyond geographical borders.

Discussions of intersectionality, feminism, gender and identity politics from a ‘middle-eastern’ perspective is becoming increasingly relevant and important. Banat collective offers a space for discussion and creation and to address these questions and issues that course through our everyday lives. www.banatcollective.com // Twitter - @banatcollective // Instagram - @banatcollective

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This podcast and artwork was posted by follow the halo. For more www.followthehalo.com @halozine

InterviewsSara SafwanAugust 20, 2018panel, talks, cinema akil, entrepreneurship, uaeComment

Meet the Women Who Are Supporting the Arab Arts Scene

Meet the women who are starting their own ventures to support the Arab Arts and Culture scene in the region.

Interviews, articlesSara SafwanJuly 31, 2018women, initiatives, magazine, collectives Comment

ZAINAB AL RADHI: "Language is powerful."

We speak to Zainab Al Radhi about her book ‘For You Are a Galaxy’ and muses, Frida Kahlo and Eve.

InterviewsFarrah FrayJuly 22, 2018interview, writing, poetry, illustration, sarah ahmedComment

Sarra’a Abdulaziz: "We need more female artist acknowledgement until the day women don’t have to be conscious about their gender to do what they love."

Banat Collective interviews Sarra’a Abdulaziz an Emirati artist and filmmaker who explores difficult topics such as sexual harassment, mental health and the plight of women in the Arab world. “We hear about victims of rape and sexual harassment everyday, but then we must remember that they don’t appear and disappear like a media trend, they’re still out there navigating life and following their dreams.”

Interviews, In The Middle of It AllAliyah Al AwadhiMay 13, 2018interview, photography, filmComment