"Against All Odds: Voices of Popular Struggle in Iraq" by Ali Issa

Events

Book Launch & Performance: "Against All Odds: Voices of Popular Struggle in Iraq" by Ali Issa

Thu, June 25, 2015 6:30 pm at Alwan for the Arts

Alwan for the Arts, The War Resisters League & Center for Constitutional Rights present
Against All Odds: Voices of Popular Struggle in Iraq by Ali Issa, featuring performance by hip-hop artist The Narcicyst and artwork by Sundus Abdul Hadi

Free and open to the public

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Alwan, the War Resisters League and Center for Constitutional Rights are pleased to host an interdisciplinary presentation in conjunction with the launch of Ali Issa's new publication "Against All Odds: Voices of Popular Struggle in Iraq" at Alwan for the Arts. The program will feature the artwork of Sundus Abdul Hadi, an Iraqi-Canadian multimedia artist, and a performance by Iraqi-Canadian hip-hop artist, Yassin Alsalman (also known as 'The Narcicyst' or 'Narcy'). The presentation will attempt to highlight the contributions and dynamics of the many struggles and movements in present-day Iraq, which challenge current perceptions of the country as merely a war-torn nation with little hope for the future.

Collected from dozens of interviews with and reports by Iraqi feminists, labor organizers, environmentalists, and protest movement leaders, "Against All Odds" presents unique voices of progressive Iraqis organizing on the ground. Dating back to 2003, this anthology gives you voice to Iraqis who are asserting themselves as agents of change against various local, regional and global forces of oppression.

BIOS

Ali Issa is the National Field Organizer with the War Resisters League, where he is co-coordinator of a campaign to end police militarization in the United States. He is originally from Iowa and holds a Master's Degree in Arabic Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. His literary translations have appeared in Banipal, the PEN World Atlas Blog, and Jadaliyya where he is also a contributor on Iraqi social movements. Additionally, Issa is a member of the community funding committee of the North Star Fund, a foundation that provides grants to grassroots community groups. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Sundus Abdul Hadi was born to Iraqi parents in the United Arab Emirtes (UAE) and raised in Canada. As a painter and multimedia artist, her work focuses on media representation and subverting existing images. Abdul Hadi has exhibited in Iraq, Australia, the UAE, Palestine, Canada and the US, with solo shows of her multimedia series “Warchestra” held in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal as part of the Arab Winter exhibition. Sundus Abdul Hadi also hosts a radio show on Montreal community-radio station CKUT 90.3.
Sundus Abdul Hadi website

Yassin Alsalman, also known as “The Narcicyst” or “Narcy”, is a leading Arab hip-hop musician, actor and artist. Born in the United Arab Emirates and raised in Canada, Narcy got his Master’s Degree in Media Studies, which ultimately shaped the context and ethos that inspires his work. Recently, Narcy established the multimedia company The Medium in Montreal, with the mission to facilitate international collaborations amongst thinkers, artists and brandeurs worldwide. He is a part-time professor at Concordia University.
The Narcicyst on SoundCloud

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Alwan's programs are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.

Last updated: 2015-06-16 13:29:01