The Shaeirat Project aims to build a regional as well as international network in the MENA region that will organise public bilingual poetry performances of Arab women poets perform their own works. The objective is to encourage and strengthen the exchange of poetry and cultural performance within Arabic speaking societies as well as in Europe.
The project is collectively run by poetesses Carol Sansour from Palestine and Soukaina Habiballah from Morocco, as well as Henri Jules Julien, a French director living in Morocco. Building on the success of the premiere of the project launched in the Festival of Avignon July 2022, the project will create the first editions of Arabic International Performed Poetry festivals in 3 Arab countries: Morocco, Egypt, Algeria. The poetesses joining Shaeirat Project will perform their poetry also in other countries than in the ones they’re living in. They will equally be involved in the programming, mediation, and promotion of the performances before and when they come to their own countries.
All performances will be accompanied by a variety of meetings, workshops, and mediations will be set up with different partners and audiences (the education sector, the book chain, etc.). One of the driving forces is the translation of this variety of Arabic poetry into various languages to reach out to EU member states and their neighbourhood. As a result, Arabic poetry performances within the MENA region will contribute to the increase of translated Arabic poems and this will strengthen Arabic/European language bilingualism.
