Sweet Swana Montréal: For A Fair Share of Arab Electro (Part 2)

by Salima Bouaraour

2. A constantly evolving scene 

The Arab population makes up 20.6% of visible minorities in 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.

 

The Montreal electronic music scene has made, and is still making, great strides compared to other scenes around the world. So-called non-dominant individuals such as women and marginalized categories – queer-bipoc-trans – are enjoying greater accessibility and visibility on the scene.

However, to ensure that we continue to make progress towards a brighter future, there are still complex entanglements of systemic discrimination and issues linked, for example, to the representation of people of colour and/or queer women, as well as problems of access to decision-making positions, leadership and access to the media.

In fact, so-called “racialized” people or people from indigenous nations have had more opportunities, even if the situation is still glaring in the face of the many challenges linked to history. In addition, a huge amount of work has been done to remedy the difficulties faced by black artists in gaining access to the stage. The demographic weight of visible minorities is 28.3% (1) of Greater Montreal.

It is clear that accessibility to all spheres of public life, including the music scene, must be paramount. Taking all these factors into account, a debate needs to be brought to the table: the under-representation of Arab artists on the Montreal electronic music scene. Although this group represents one-fifth of visible minorities (Statistics Montreal 2016 (1 and 2)), it remains underground like a well-kept treasure. Collectives are trying to rectify the situation, but as best they can, often on their own initiative. The challenges are huge!

SOURCES (in French)

 

1. Minorités visibles. Population dans les ménages privés selon les groupes de minorités visibles,  agglomération de Montréal, 2021. Visible minorities. Population in private households per visible minority group, Montréal agglomeration, 2021

2. Population d’origine ethnique arabe au Québec en 2016 Population of Arab ethnic origins in Québec in 2016.

READ THE NEXT PART!

Latest 360 Content

Lucien Francoeur – Requiem For A Rocker.

Lucien Francoeur – Requiem For A Rocker.

Rick Baitz – River of January

Rick Baitz – River of January

Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band – Lumen

Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band – Lumen

Thelonius Garcia – Marche nocturne

Thelonius Garcia – Marche nocturne

Flûte Alors! – Scherzi forastieri

Flûte Alors! – Scherzi forastieri

Stefan Smulovitz – Bow & Brush: 12 Scores of Nadina Tandy

Stefan Smulovitz – Bow & Brush: 12 Scores of Nadina Tandy

Malasartes | RadioTango Concludes With a Gran Milonga Gran

Malasartes | RadioTango Concludes With a Gran Milonga Gran

Arion Orchestre Baroque | Leila Schayegh Plays and Conducts… a Swiss Army Knife for Baroque!

Arion Orchestre Baroque | Leila Schayegh Plays and Conducts… a Swiss Army Knife for Baroque!

ONJ | Miho Hazama, From Tokyo to NYC

ONJ | Miho Hazama, From Tokyo to NYC

Montreal Arab World Festival | Nesraf, a Dive Into Algerian Chaâbi Nights

Montreal Arab World Festival | Nesraf, a Dive Into Algerian Chaâbi Nights

37th Coup de cœur francophone | Noémie Laniel Explains the Program

37th Coup de cœur francophone | Noémie Laniel Explains the Program

Montreal Arab World Festival | Fairouz Oudjida Pays Tribute to Arab Divas

Montreal Arab World Festival | Fairouz Oudjida Pays Tribute to Arab Divas

Souldia – Nouvelle vie

Souldia – Nouvelle vie

Festival du Monde Arabe 2024 | Malika Zarra, ‘the Jewel of Moroccan jazz’, who also draws on châabi, gnawa and Berber traditions.

Festival du Monde Arabe 2024 | Malika Zarra, ‘the Jewel of Moroccan jazz’, who also draws on châabi, gnawa and Berber traditions.

Cordâme – Déesses mythiques

Cordâme – Déesses mythiques

Bruce Liu – Tchaïkovsky : The Seasons

Bruce Liu – Tchaïkovsky : The Seasons

Laila Biali – Wintersongs

Laila Biali – Wintersongs

OktoEcho – Saimaniq Sivumut

OktoEcho – Saimaniq Sivumut

No Codes – Usual Suspects

No Codes – Usual Suspects

Christopher Whitley – Almost as Soft as Silence

Christopher Whitley – Almost as Soft as Silence

Malasartes | Noubi and His Melting Pot of Sounds

Malasartes | Noubi and His Melting Pot of Sounds

Zach Zoya in California | Still Sunny in Glendale but…

Zach Zoya in California | Still Sunny in Glendale but…

Subscribe to our newsletter