For the third time, AFAC is bringing the avant-garde of the Arab world to Berlin. Artists like N3rdistan showcase the Arab underground.
Of course it’s just cliché and stereotyping. But the fact is, the Arab world’s image is currently not quite, shall we say, objective. Racism and all that, if you will. All the more important that festivals such as the one organised by AFAC, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, at Kulturquartier Silent Green, exist. In its third year, the festival’s motto is ‘Wish You Were Here!’ and it will bring musical vanguards from the Arab world to Berlin — acts that do not transport clichés but rather question and deconstruct them.
Acts such as Franco-Moroccan duo N3rdistan. They set texts from classical Arab poets to music, but with ideas sourced from indie-pop, hip-hop and electronic music. Without clichés, but with a political edge. “For me, art is a form of activism”, says singer Walid Bensalim. “Culture will save us.”
Address: Silent Green, Gerichtstraße 35, Wedding | Tue July 23rd – Fri, July 26th, tickets 5€ per concert on the door, 10€ for the whole evening
Directions: S- and U-Bahn station Wedding
Translated by Aida Baghernejad
[smbtoolbar]