Middle Eastern festival hits the streets of London The Nour Festival of Arts returned this week to London for its third edition. The festival, a dazzling display of Middle Eastern arts and culture, is running throughout October and November and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
Previously, held only at the Leighton House Museum, this year the festival has spread its wings across London, with the likes of The Victoria & Albert Museum, the Mosaic Rooms and the Science Museum just a number of institutions that are partaking in the celebrations, hosting an array of fascinating exhibitions and events.
Organised by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the festival will take in a wide spectrum of different media, including film, literature, music, visual arts, fashion, dance and food. Completely objective in its approach, with no political or religious bias, the festival is aiming to foster a deeper understanding between the East and the West.
Having started back in 2010, this year’s festival is being hosting in conjunction with a number of partners, including the Iran Heritage Foundation, the Arab British Centre, the British Egyptian Society and the London Arab Music Festival.
With a host of brilliant events set to hit the streets of London, highlights include the festival’s Writer-in-Residence, Selma Dabbagh, author of Out of It, who will be hosting a series of workshops on writing and publishing. In addition, singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi and Lebanese musician Charbel Rouhana will play a series of concerts at the Tabernacle, while spatial design exhibition by Muiz Anwar and Dia Batal at the Leighton House Museum, as well as Moroccan artist Abderrahim Yamou’s first-ever UK exhibition at the Mosaic Rooms.
Throw into the mix a group photography exhibition entitled Light from the Middle East, hosted by V & A Museum and, in association with the MENA Film Festival screenings of from emerging Middle Eastern and North African filmmakers, this really is one of the most excited Middle Eastern events to come to the UK’s capital!