Join us as we interview author Sabrina Mahfouz on our afikra Book Club series.
Date: Thursday, May 26
Time: 12PM NYC | 5PM London | 7PM Beirut | 9PM Abu Dhabi
Hosted By: Mikey Muhanna (afikra)
Synopsis:
Sabrina Mahfouz once sat in a Whitehall interview room and was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her private life. It was ostensibly a job interview, but implicit in their demands was the unspoken question: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted? Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting the meaning behind this interrogation, and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire’s historical dominance in the Middle East. “These Bodies of Water” investigates this history through the Middle Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire’s hold. Interwoven with her own personal experiences, Sabrina combines history, politics, myth and poetry in a devastating examination of this unacknowledged part of Britain’s colonial past. Part history, part polemic and part intimate memoir, “These Bodies of Water” is a tapestry of writing that tells the story of Britain’s relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms.
This event is being videotaped for subsequent broadcast on the library website and other media. The audience is encouraged to offer comments and raise questions during the formal question and answer period, but please be advised that your voice and image may be recorded and later broadcast as part of this event. By participating in the question and answer period you are consenting to the possible reproduction and transmission of your remarks.