- Confined to the folklore of the collective imagination
The Arab population makes up 20.6% of visible minorities in the Greater Montreal, ranking 2nd after the black population, which is close to 30% (1). Visible, they say? Perhaps not so much. The fact is that they are poorly represented in many areas of society, including the electronic music scene.
And yet, Swana electro artists are on a roll in every major metropolis in the world! Montreal, however, is no exception to the trend. The city is full of little treasures, but they are more often acclaimed abroad or outside the province than on the island. Their visibility in the media or on the big stages or at major events is still rather minimal here.
With this feature by our contributor Salima Bouaraour, PAN M 360 shines the spotlight on this thriving pool of artists involved in the development of Montreal’s cultural and nightlife scene, as well as promoting and defending the values of equality, justice, creativity, inclusivity and the celebration of Arab beauty.
In this festive spirit of coming together, a compilation will take you into their respective universes.
Before that, there’s an analysis that deserves your full attention. Here’s part 1!
Numerous cultural events celebrate Arab beauty and a wide range of its flourishing music. These include, of course, the Arab World Festival, which has been running for 23 years and has become a not-to-be-missed event, the Moroccan Cultural Centre, which has been based here since 2014, and which contributes to interculturality, the interaction and coexistence of different civilizations and cultures, as well as promoting convergence and rapprochement between them, and micro-festivals such as the Palestine Festival (to be launched in 2023).
But what about the fragmented electronics area? Some would say nothing! If we’re talking about the representation of Arab electronic artists programmed at more institutional events or renowned festivals. The number is tiny. And yet these artists from the community are numerous, extremely prolific and extremely creative! In some cases, they are better known abroad than on the island.
As always, data is lacking or sparse when it comes to issues that are nested or possibly considered subaltern by some. Numerous studies corroborate this phenomenon of invisibilization (2).
Sources (in French):
1. Minorités visibles. Visible minorities. Population in private households per visible minority group, Montréal agglomeration, 2021
2 Le racisme systémique dans la musique/Soumission/Exploitation/Ostracisation Systemic racism in music/Submission/Exploitation/Ostracization. (Podcast series, history/music/sociology).
• Portrait et témoignage de Saïd Taghmaoui Poitrait and testimony of Saïd Taghmaoui. (actor, testimony to the desynchronized career paths linked to systemic discrimination in the film industry)
• Rokhaya Dialo (freelance journalist, columnist and film-maker. Debate based on recent research into the intersectionality of women of colour in all spheres of society) (In English)
