Announcements / Mar 18th, 2019

Creative Alliance Brings Women Performers from Muslim Backgrounds to Baltimore

Creative Alliance | Bringing Women Performers from Muslim Backgrounds to Baltimore

Creative Alliance is proud to support our Muslim neighbors. Did you know we are finishing up a 6-part series bringing in female artists from Muslim backgrounds to Baltimore to share their talents with Baltimore students to increase understanding? Come celebrate our final part of this series with African Moorish Griot Noura Mint Seymali and her psychedelic band on Friday March 29th. Tickets are just $13 and include a halal dinner.

The final performance and school residency activities of the Nisa’a | Women: Muslim Cultural Identity – Six Women on Stage and in Conversation series highlights all the work done over the past two years with incredible women performers.

Nisa’a | Women celebrates the powerful artistry of women with roots in Muslim communities in the U.S. and around the world. During extended engagements in the city, these artists have performed and participated in conversations with students at Baltimore City schools and audiences at the Creative Alliance. Each artist has also had the opportunity to collaborate with Baltimore performers to create new work and combine backgrounds. 

“We in the united states have a troubled, complicated relationship with Islam. What we need and what we see in this program is a way to humanize and bring out the beauty of the tradition, and the people who practice the tradition, and the people who find comfort and solace in the tradition.”  – Dr. Homayra Ziad

The Creative Alliance is one of 11 non-profit organizations that received a highly competitive grant from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art’s (DFFIA)’S Building Bridges Program, whose mission is to advance relationships, increase understanding and reduce bias between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The a multi-year NISA’A | WOMEN program that has brought renowned Muslim women performers from around the globe to Baltimore for multiple days of community engagement, conversation, and performance. Each of these performing artists comes with a distinct set of personal experiences from different places, societies, and cultural traditions to celebrate the complexity of Muslim women today. The final week of the program is March 18th to March 22nd. 

“Every experience was so special and so different. I’ve never really had this kind of interaction with communities and community outreach before.” – Zebunnisa Bangash, NISA’A | Participant, Singer of Sandaraa

“This program has exposed Baltimore students to the wealth and breadth of expression held deeply within Muslim communities in the U.S. and abroad. It has been astonishing to watch young adults engage with these incredible artists, ask thoughtful questions, and learn together with the performers who have participated in this program.” – Josh Kohn, Performance Director, Creative Alliance

 

Final Engagement Details

Performance at Creative Alliance: 
FRI MAR 29 | 8PM
Noura Mint Seymali w/ Konjour Collective
Ticket includes a halal dinner
Noura Mint Seymali is a nationally beloved star and one of Mauritania’s foremost musical emissaries.  Born into a prominent line of Moorish griot (West African praise singers, poets and musicians) Noura began her career at age 13 as a supporting vocalist with her step-mother, the legendary Dimi Mint Abba. Tickets & More Information

 

Watch some highlights from NISA’A | WOMEN!

NISA’A | WOMEN from Creative Alliance on Vimeo.