Starting off with movement and words, this event will kick off with a drop-in poetry session facilitated by a leading London poet and spoken word artist Hodan Yusuf. Learn how to create a poem and the process of editing one you've already started. Alongside this, join in and learn the basic moves of fencing from how to lunge, parry and riposte! This fun fencing experience will be facilitated by an expert and open to all.
Join us in the Southwark Room for the screening of Nobody's Metaphor, a film which follows the journey of four teenage girls from West London who embark on the Muslim Girls Fence project run by Maslaha and British Fencing. As the film unfolds, the initially reluctant girls find fencing coaching and poetry workshops new means to express themselves and speak back to people’s expectations of them as they talk about the anxieties they face and the impacts of sexism, racism and Islamophobia.
The film will end in a discussion chaired by President of the UK National Union of Students Zamzam Ibrahim to discuss the themes and wider implications faced by Muslim women and girls in Britain today. Speakers will include Dr Azeezat Johnson, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London; Noor Palette, journalist, broadcaster, DJ, and Features Editor at AZEEMA magazine, focusing on underrepresented women globally; and Saimah Asghar, educator and secondary school teacher.
About Stance, Chouette Films and Maslaha
Stance is an independent award-winning arts and culture podcast run by journalist and curator Chrystal Genesis.
Chouette Films combine green filmmaking innovation, dedication to detail and creative flair, and craft their films with the ingredients to inspire social impact. They are whole-heartedly driven to creating meaningful and innovative films, whilst minimising environmental footprints.
Maslaha works in areas including education, gender, criminal justice and health. Maslaha's range of projects means they understand the multiple identities communities hold, and the multiple deprivations that can exist. They initiate and create spaces for people to contribute, shape and give a voice to their ideas and actions.