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Palestinian revelation Nai Barghouti, Montreal rapper Narcy in tandem with his Arab-American friend and colleague Omar Offendum, the Mediterranean-inclined Compagnie Rassegna, the ultimate living legend of Algerian chaâbi Abdelkader Chaou, singer Dorsaf Hamdani and the Deus Ex Machina choir, whirling dervishes Tawhida Tanya Evanson, Shraddha Blaney and Crow, jazz-Moroccan singer Malika Zarra, immersive opera Sainte-Marine, Palestinian troubadour Abo Gabi, hypnotic songs by Franco-Egyptian oudist Mohamed Abozekry, soloist singers Oumaima El Khalil, Lila Borsali and Raoudha Abdallah in the service of liberation songs, oud supravirtuoso Naseer Shamma, Algerian Kamel Benani and his malouf music, Tunisia’s rising star Nour Kamar, the list goes on.
The 25th Arab World Festival of Montreal takes place over more than a month, with the infernal conflict between Palestine, Lebanon and Israel seemingly far from over. Despite this, the AWFM is still held in Montreal, and persists in nurturing dialogue between cultures and opposing hatred and division. Joseph Nakhlé, the event’s founder and artistic director, explains to Alain Brunet the background to the AWFM and outlines its programming under the theme Méprises: 25 years of colorful dreams. That’s saying a lot…
