Open Mic for Gaza 1 Sept 2024
Special guest line-up
Save the date! I’m delighted to be organising and MC-ing the third Open Mic for Gaza which takes place on 1 September 2024, 7 - 9 pm Irish time, on Zoom. Featuring special guests, open mic slots, and Zoom audience, this will be a night of solidarity readings and song. As with previous Open Mic for Gaza events, everyone is working voluntarily, and this time all funds raised will go to the projects of Gaza-based NGO We Are Not Numbers (WANN).
WANN is a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project in the Gaza Strip. It tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights. Earlier this year WANN was recognised for their vital human rights work when they were presented with a Front Line Defenders Award plus an Outstanding Impact Award from Amnesty International UK.
As well as readings and talks from our special guests, there’s the opportunity to read or perform in the open mic (up to 3 minutes per person). Express your interest via the booking form, and please include a brief max 50-word bio.
The 15 selected for open mic will be confirmed by email on Friday 30 August.
There’s plenty of room to join us as an audience member too; all who have registered and donated will receive the Zoom link one hour before the event. Please sign up and donate with this booking form.
More about our special guests:
Ahmed Alnaouq
Ahmed grew up in Gaza, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from al-Azher University. He is currently based in London. Ahmed was the inspiration for and the original project manager of We Are Not Numbers. He later won the UK’s prestigious Chevening scholarship and earned a Master’s degree in international journalism from Leeds University. Today, in addition to his role as a Steering Committee member of We Are Not Numbers, he is cofounder of Border Gone, a media project that tells stories from Gaza in Hebrew. He also serves as advocacy and outreach officer for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. Ahmed’s writings have been published by the Gulf News, New Arab, and other websites. Ahmed on Facebook and X.
Walaa Sabah
Walaa is the Director of Operations of We Are Not Numbers. She works as a freelance journalist. You can read her articles at The Middle East Eye, The Electronic Intifada, Mondoweiss, and The New Arab. In 2024 she was a guest speaker at the Irish Writers Union AGM and The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival in Cork. She has been a guest speaker at many Palestinian solidarity events in Ireland, as well as a special guest at the second Open Mic for Gaza.
Lianne O’Hara
Lianne is a poet and playwright. Her work is published in Winter Papers, The Rialto, Poetry Ireland Review, The London Magazine, Banshee, and elsewhere. Her play FLUFF had a sell-out run at the 2022 Dublin Fringe Festival. Her new play BABY will premiere in The New Theatre on September 17.
lianneohara.com Lianne on Instagram and X Baby on Instagram and X.
Nithy Kasa
Nithy is a Congolese-Irish poet based in Dublin. Her debut collection of poetry, Palm Wine Tapper and The Boy at Jericho, Doire Press 2022, was listed among the top poetry books of 2022 by the Irish Times, and was shortlisted for the Pigott Poetry Prize 2023.
Nithy on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Janet Moran
Janet is an actor and playwright based in Dublin. Her writing credits include Swing, A Holy Show, Looking for América, which is being developed into a screenplay with the support of Screen Ireland, and Quake which was named one of the top 50 shows in the UK and Ireland in 2023 by The Stage UK. Her new play, AFTERWARDS opens in September 2024, at the Abbey Theatre Dublin.
Dana Besaiso
Dana, a WANN writer, is an English Law student at Al-Azhar University. She is extremely interested in international and human rights law and shedding light on the human rights violations that Palestinians face on a daily basis. Dana believes in individuals’ power to create a difference in the world through understanding the importance of their voices and words. She is passionate about helping her community thrive, improving living conditions, and protecting everyone’s human rights.
Mariam Mohammed Al Khateeb
Mariam, a WANN writer, is a dentistry student, poet, oud player, translator, and community activist in the local community. She was a participant in the Hult Prize, an annual competition for ideas solving pressing social issues, such as food security, water access, energy, and education. She works as a writer and makes videos, producing content about Palestine.
Please join us at Open Mic for Gaza, or if you can’t attend, gift a place for a friend. It would be great if you could help us spread the word by sharing this event with your network. Thank you in solidarity.
#OpenMicForGaza #WeAreNotNumbers