Gender and Sexuality in Algerian Rai Music

Thursday, November 3, 2022

1:00 PM ET – Virtual Event

Video available to GU affiliates upon request, email genderjustice@georgetown.edu

A Lecture and Conversation with Esraa Warda

Presented by Gender⁺ Justice Initiative, Women’s and Gender Studies and Women’s Center

Join is in welcoming dance artist and educator Esraa Warda for a lecture entitled: ‘Gender and Sexuality in Algerian Rai Music‘. Known as the “rebel blues”, Raï is one of Algeria’s noteworthy movements of independent artists that have been historically marginalized and stigmatized. This lecture will explore the socio-cultural and historical significance of Rai music and the role that specifically women and queer people have had in the public articulation of sexuality and storytelling through this style.

About the speaker:

Esraa Warda is a New York based dance artist and educator specializing in Algerian & Moroccan traditional dance forms. A child of the Algerian diaspora, Warda is a cultural warrior advocating for the representation & preservation of North African women-led dance traditions and the decolonization of euro-centricity, orientalism, and patriarchy in dance.

Her dance workshops and lectures have trailblazed their way to educational institutions such as Cornell University, Wellesley College, King’s College (London), and University of Ottawa. She is a mentee of notable North African women artists such as Rai icon Cheikha Rabia (Paris), and  Bnat el Houariyat (Marrakech) and frequently tours internationally in the US, Europe, Latin America, and North Africa. IG: @wardadance

More info about the speaker:

Read this New York Times profile: From Her Algerian Family’s Living Room to the Dance Stage

Esraa Warda’s Website: www.esraawarda.com