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Writing Against the Current: Badriah Al Bishr, Huda Hamed & Shahad Al Rawi
Date/Time: Friday 3 February 2023 17:30-18:30
Venue: Al Baraha III, InterContinental, Dubai Festival City
Language: Arabic
Session No: 88
Is the literary scene shaped by society or does society shape the literary scene?
Literature plays a huge role in our culture, most prominently in breaking boundaries and addressing issues of norms and stereotypes that have hindered societal progression.
A creative writer has the potential to be an agent of change, courageously writing against the currents of convention. This offers society an opportunity to boldly revaluate the mainstream, and prepare to likewise be agents of change, no matter the cost.
This session aims to tackle, in particular, the conventions of how society perceives motherhood and the sanctity of our relationship with the mother, as well as her impact in our own journeys and our ability to develop our own convictions.
Join authors Badriya Al-Bishr, Shahad Al Rawi and Huda Hamad as they discuss topics surrounding the Khaleeji women and how they are portrayed and embodied in writing. To reach a deeper, constructive understanding, they aim to dismantle the most perplexing stereotypes and break down rigid frameworks, while exploring how to expand awareness and empower reflection on what it means to be a woman in local society.
Badriah Al Bishr is a Saudi writer and journalist. Her publications include Marry a Saudi Woman, Love of Al-A'sha Street, Thursday Visitors and many others.
Shahad Al-Rawi is an Iraqi novelist with a PhD in anthropology. Her first novel, The Baghdad Clock, has been translated into several languages. She won the Edinburgh Prize for First Fiction and was nominated for a Booker Prize. Her second novel, Over the Jumhuriya Bridge, was published in 2020.
Huda Hamed is an award-winning Omani journalist, author and editor in-chief of Nazwa Magazine. She has written five novels, various short story collections, and essays. Her most recent novel, They Don’t Remember in Majaz, was published in 2022.
This session is moderated by Doudja Benfredj
As you plan your day at the Festival, please take into consideration that it takes between 30-60 mins to commute between the Intercontinental, Festival City and Mohammed Bin Rashid Library.
