Meya Meya Festival – sixth edition

From May 23rd to 25th, the Meya Meya Festival returns to Livorno: now in its sixth edition, the event promoted by the association CeSDI APS (Centro Servizi Donne Immigrate) and directed by Nada Al Basha, is conceived as an innovative cultural laboratory, with the aim of “de-constructing” the colonial and religious stereotypes that often imprison the artistic expressions of the Middle East and the Arab world.

“With a radically secular, inclusive, and intersectional approach, the festival proposes a contemporary reinterpretation of the MENA (Middle East North Africa) cultures, focusing on dance and the moving body as a tool to amplify women’s voices and initiate reflections on gender issues and a transcultural and decolonized approach to dialogue and comparison”, said the artistic director Nada Al Basha, presenting the sixth edition of the event.

The 5 artists who will take turns on stage at Goldonetta on May 24th are: Karim Nagi, a versatile artist, dancer, and musician active on the American and global scene, Tommy King, an internationally renowned Egyptian dancer, David Calderon, a Chilean artist naturalized Egyptian, Melissa Gamal, a dancer appreciated and known by audiences worldwide, from Canada, and of course the host Nada Al Basha, a dancer and choreographer with numerous performances also abroad, in Japan, Greece, Egypt, and Spain.

Important to underline for this edition is the new collaboration with local realities, including the cooperative Itinera and the association Selvatica and the renewed partnership with Creative Lab ASD, Lunadonda APS, Mezzaluna Rossa Kurdistan, OSIM-Osservatorio studi internazionali sul Mediterraneo, and MaryamEd Formazione Transculturale.

Also fundamental is the support for the initiative through the official recognition of patronage from the Comune di Livorno – which also contributes with a grant -, the Provincia di Livorno, and the Regione Toscana.