Return to Livorno the Meya Meya – Raqs Festival

Back to Livorno the Meya Meya – Raqs Festival, an event that over the years has carved out an increasingly recognizable space in the international cultural landscape dedicated to performing arts and cultures of the SWANA – South West Asia and North Africa area. From 21 to 24 May, the festival will celebrate its seventh edition, transforming the city into a meeting point for dance, music, folklore, artistic research, and intercultural dialogue.

The initiative, organized by the CESDI – Centro Servizi Donne Immigrate APS together with volunteers, associations, and local institutions, will take place between the Palazzo dei Portuali and the Cinema Teatro Salesiani, involving artists, performers, and participants from all over the world.

During the four days, there will be intensive workshops, live performances, and moments of cultural enrichment with the participation of prominent international guests such as Bassam Abou Diab from Lebanon, Azad Kaan from Turkey, Afrika Marco from Spain, Melissa Gamal from Canada, Zahra Bent Ammar from Algeria, and Karim Nagi, an internationally acclaimed Egyptian artist active for years in the United States as a dancer, choreographer, and multi-instrumentalist.

These same artists will be the protagonists of the final show scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 8 pm at the Cinema Teatro Salesiani, in an evening that will see performers from the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, and Moldova also take the stage. Tickets will be available for purchase directly at the theater box office on the evening of the event.

In addition to the artistic events, the festival also confirms its attention to cultural, social, and geopolitical themes related to the SWANA area territories. One of the most anticipated meetings is the conference “Palestine and Lebanon: beyond the headlines. Analysis, testimonies, and contemporary scenarios”, scheduled for Thursday, May 21 at 5 pm at the Palazzo dei Portuali. The conference, which is open to the public free of charge, will be attended by Alberto Mari of the Livorno Palestine Cultural Association and Bassam Abou Diab, an artist and direct witness of the Lebanese situation, arriving in Livorno directly from Beirut. The journalist Lorenzo Bacci will moderate with simultaneous translation from English to Italian.

Also free entry is the conference “Culture on stage: dance, ethics, and responsibility in contemporary artistic practices”, scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 5 pm at the Palazzo dei Portuali with the participation of artistic director Nada Al Basha along with Karim Nagi and Melissa Gamal.

The 2026 edition is sponsored by the Comune di Livorno, Provincia di Livorno, and Regione Toscana, with the involvement of numerous associations and institutions in the area including Mezza Luna Rossa Kurdistan, Associazione Georgiani Comunità Livorno APS, Associazione Pietro Napoli, ASD Creative Lab, and ASC Lorenzana.

The festival also represents an important cultural and tourist driver for the Livorno area thanks to the arrival of artists, students, and audiences from different countries around the world, with positive effects on the city’s accommodation facilities. The Meya Meya Festival’s journey will continue beyond Livorno with further events in the area, including a performance scheduled for June 13 in Lorenzana, in Pisa.