Revolutionary, internationally acclaimed musicians Ramy Essam and ABJEEZ take the stage in back to back performances, presented by Artistic Freedom Initiative.
Featured in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, NPR, and in the documentary film The Square, Egypt’s Ramy Essam exploded into international fame as the real voice of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, when his songs spread like wildfire among the demonstrators. Performing his powerful protest songs for millions in Tahrir Square during the Revolution, Ramy was arrested, tortured and forced to flee Egypt. His songs were banned and he was forbidden to perform publicly. “In the revolution I was born again. The struggle became the purpose of my life,” he says. His recent song Balaha, critical of Egypt’s president in the run up to their recent election, went viral and has resulted in the imprisonment of the poet who composed Balaha’s lyrics. Hailed as the ‘Bob Dylan of Egypt,’ Ramy is a force of nature whose music is impassioned, explosive, and full of fight.
Hailed by the New York Times and BBC for dynamically fusing Iranian soul rhythms with reggae, rock, ska, and flamenco, sisters Melody and Safoura Safavi have been creating spectacularly unique “Persian World Pop” sounds since they formed ABJEEZ over ten years ago. Born in Iran, where “Western” music styles are demonized and women are forbidden from performing solo on stage, Melody and Safoura have sought to not only transcend geographic and sonic boundaries with their songs, but to reach young Iranians through humor and rebelliousness, inspiring creativity in a country that has little exposure to musical diversity. Now living outside of their native Iran, Safoura and Melody use their musical platform to amplify their activism, speaking out on behalf of those being silenced or marginalized.
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This concert is organized by Artistic Freedom Initiative, a program of the SDK Foundation for Human Dignity. AFI is a non-profit organization led by immigration and human rights attorneys, providing pro bono immigration representation and resettlement assistance to international artists at risk. In addition to these services, AFI partners with arts and culture organizations, museums, galleries, and performance spaces to create opportunities for artists in their network to showcase their work. Ramy Essam & ABJEEZ are AFI supported artists.
This concert is presented in conjunction with AFI’s exhibition currently on show at the Queens Museum. The exhibition, titled Executive (Dis)Order: Art, Displacement & the Ban, centers on artists who have been impacted by the travel ban or have otherwise faced restrictions on their freedom of movement and expression.
