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Episode 60 in English: Andrea Assaf of Art2Action!

It was such an amazing surprise, while we were in Tampa, to learn from our friend Nadia about the Arab Festival that happened to be going on that weekend.  The organization Art2Action was one of the cosponsors of this amazing event.  Alia attended the festival and knew that contacting Andrea Assaf was a must after that!  We ended up recording an excellent episode not long after the festival, and it was so wonderful getting to talk to Andrea.  We talked about the organization Art2Action https://art2action.org which is the org that Andrea is the founding Artistic and Executive Director of.  We talked about many things, and one of the main topics was how art can bring people together, including people who normally would not find themselves in the same spaces.  We discussed how necessary it is for us all to strive to look outside of our bubbles and be willing to have conversations with people who have differing mindsets from us.  Thank you so much to Andrea for joining our podcast!

Photo credit goes to La MaMa ETC; this is a photo from one of Andrea’s performances:
See below for links provided from Andrea that are related to topics we touched on and more!

See Andrea’s bio here: https://art2action.org/andrea-assaf

Eleven Reflections on September

https://art2action.org/eleven-reflections-on-september/

&

https://vimeo.com/channels/11reflections

Eleven Reflections on September soundtrack – Original cast recordings of all the poems and music from
the 2011 production. Order on CD Baby, or download from ITunes:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/andreaassaf
https://itunes.apple.com/tm/album/eleven-reflections-on-september/id464813842

Veteran Arts Program

https://art2action.org/veterans-in-tampa/


THIS Bridge: 
 Arab, Middle Eastern & Muslim Artists Series

https://art2action.org/this-bridge-arab-muslim-middle-eastern-artists/


Light Me Up
(an offering to the Movement for Black Lives, in memory of Sandra Bland) – 2017 Freedom

Plough Awards from Poetry & Activism, Split This Rock (8 min):

http://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/light-me-up

Follow on Social Media:
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @Art2Action
VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/art2action
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/art2actionTV
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/art2action
#Art2Action #11Reflections #THISbridge

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Episode 59 in English: MEER!

Reem, otherwise known as MEER off rap duo COOL TAN (p.k.a HEAVY)  is a Lebanese/Palestinian/Iraqi wordsmith, poet and artist. Her raw and unapologetic raps speak about suffering and mental health. Her music journey creates a platform for others who are also living with depression from strict cultural traditions.

Reem has been involved in other bands such as COOL TAN (previously known as HEAVY) they have already been involved in festivals such as ‘Auckland city limits’ and ‘Laneway’. Played support for Le1f, Earl Sweatshirt, Jurassic 5 and Ratatat.

Having just moved to Australia recently she’s already halfway through her album, and just released a single (the SAME TIME as this episode release, which was such awesome timing).  It’s called Fatoush, and you can find it on Spotify as of now!

Reem has a passion in mental health and is an advocate when it comes to speaking her mind.

Follow Reem:

https://www.facebook.com/meeriscool

@__meer_is_cool__ on Instagram

Check out the following interviews to read more about Reem:

https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/digital-serum.com/2018/10/29/diaspora-meer-makes-waves-for-arab-women-in-rap-music/amp/

https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/03-11-2018/rapper-meeronce-i-started-to-love-myself-completely-i-became-almost-unstoppable/

https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/noisey.vice.com/amp/en_au/article/8qgmbp/auckland-artist-meer-is-exploring-injustice-in-the-arab-community

Music:

https://thatsheavybro.bandcamp.com/

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