First Annual New York Arab Festival Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month With NYC Events

The first annual New York Arab Festival (NYAF) will take place in venues across NYC and online events throughout the month of April to honor and celebrate Arab American Heritage Month which coincides with Ramadan this year.

While the history of the earliest Arab immigration to the US predates the Declaration of Independence, the rich cultural heritage of Arabs and Arab Americans remains marginalized. NYAF fights the erasure of Arab and Arab American identity in the city of New York through the celebration of Arab art, culture, and heritage. NYAF was founded by Arab, American, and Arab American artists, creators, and policymakers in New York to address cultural erasure, urban inequality, and artistic injustice. Its inaugural edition launches April 2022, honoring the month of Ramadan and the Biden administration's recognition of National Arab American Heritage Month. NYAF presents artists from diverse backgrounds, showcasing the intersectionality of the Arab identity across myriad cultural backgrounds including African, Asian, Jewish, Mediterranean, Muslim, and others.

NYAF presents live performance, fashion and beauty, pop-up exhibitions, and live concerts, along with a robust program of virtual exhibitions, NFT drops, music events, and panels exploring arts and urbanism. The festival highlights Arab and Arab American artists and creators including visual artist Ahmed El Shaer, fashion designer Mona Hamid and her brand of gender-fluid designs Monzlapur, designer and artist Layal Srouji, composer Nadah El Shazly, choreographers Nadia Khayrallah and Esraa Warda, and musicians including Brooklyn Maqam's Sami Abu Shumays and Zahra Al Zubaidi.

The full program of in-person and online events, partnerships, and participating artists will be announced shortly. Highlights include: Nadah El Shazly's NFT Drop in partnership with Catalog, an online audio drama with Lamia Gouda (April 10), Laura Elkeslassy's concert at Barbes (April 13 at 7 PM), NYAF's Dance, Music, and Iftar Celebration with Nadia Khayrallah and Brooklyn Maqam at The Invisible Dog Arts Center (April 22 at 6 PM), and the Curating & Gatekeeping panel at NYU Department of Performance Studies (April 29 at 10 AM).

NYAF is developed by HaRaKa Platform, an international performance platform based in New York City, Berlin, and Cairo and operated by performance artists of immigrant backgrounds. NYAF is powered by Wizara, a blockchain-based ecosystem and Web3 creative studio. Other key partners include The Invisible Dog Art Center, La Mama Theatre, New York University's Performance Studies Department, Catalog music platform, MyKali, Simsara, Kuchar&Co, and Ma3azef, among others.

The inaugural edition of NYAF is curated by Adham Hafez, and the RASEEF program for public arts is curated by Adam Kucharski.

NYAF managing director: Marwa Seoudi
NYAF producer and PR director: Cindy Sibilsky
NYAF designs and visual identity: Omar Houssien

Website: www.newyorkarabfestival.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/newyorkarabfestivalofficial