We're very excited to announce that Maslaha is now running MFest, a multi-arts festival of Muslim knowledge and creativity. We took over MFest in 2020 and will be launching virtually on the weekend May 21st – 23rd 2021 in partnership with the British Library as a community generated season of events and workshops.
You can check out the programme and book tickets to events here. All our events are free and will have BSL interpretation and captioning.
We'll be adding more programming to June and July in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for announcements! Follow us on the MFest Twitter and Instagram for regular updates.
At MFest we reclaim and recontextualise the diverse stories and histories that represent Muslim communities. We work with partners to explore and unlock existing archives - while also celebrating and acknowledging all the vital ways that embodied knowledge sustains and nourishes our communities
In a context where Muslim communities face the continued challenges of structural inequalities in health, housing, education and criminal justice, in a continued climate of Islamophobia and racism and entrenched state surveillance - we draw connections between organisations, people and places in order to create new possibilities for communities to not only survive, but also to thrive. We commission Muslim artists across many different art forms and at varying stages of their careers, from theatre and comics, film and digital projects, books and publications to installations and public art. We understand the barriers to accessing arts for many Muslim and black and brown communities so we focus on creating tangible opportunities and meaningful legacy through the festival.
We also recognise the discriminations that occur within our communities which is why we work to prioritise the experiences of marginalised Muslims in our programming and strive to ensure that the environment at MFest is inclusive to Muslims of all identities and backgrounds. The first MFest was run by Aziz Foundation and attracted hundreds of attendees across 3 days at the British Library in April 2018. We’re excited to build on the success of the inaugural festival in our partnership with the British Library over the next three years.