Solidary Urban Practice with Nora Amin and Urbane Liga
The project "Solidarische Urbane Praxis" was created as part of the co-research project by Urbane Liga*1. It deals with urban practice from a critical stance within the city and embarks on the search for solidarity approaches within it. Berlin Mondiale contributed to this co-research with the words of one of its network artists, Nora Amin*2.
The Cairo-born Artist shed light on her dance practice, Raqs Sharqi, and its struggle with the Eurocentric gaze that reduces its complexity to being merely exotic and sensual. This stance often denies Raqs Sharqi from being a legitimate dance form that deserves space and presence, just like any other western dance form, for example, ballet. Raqs Baladi - as an embodiment of art in public space(s) - became one of Nora’s ways of reclaiming space, dance knowledge, and bodily autonomy from hegemonic tastes. With collaborations in Berlin, the spaces she sways become a clear example of solidarity as well as empowerment within the city.
Among nine other perspectives from Nora’s, you can read about this co-research in a digital booklet “MACHT STADT SOLIDARISCH – Denkanstöße für eine solidarische Urbane Praxis” that discusses further forms of privileges, discrimination, and solidarity in Urban Practice within the city.
*1 The Urban League is a project forge, think tank and learning platform for unconventional participation formats. You can learn more about them by visiting their website here.
*2 Nora Amin is an Egyptian author, choreographer, and theatermaker. She has been in our network of artists since she started conducting various Raqs Sharki workshops for women at different Berlin Mondiale spaces, especially in the Wassertorkiez.
*3 The Booklet is mainly written in the German language except for Nora’s contribution which was written in English.