The launch of the 10th Anniversary of Somali Week Festival will open with a conversation with Harun Maruf, Senior Editor in Voice of America’s Somali Service, and seasoned Al Jazeera Journalist Mohamed Adow with the Chair Quman Akli, Research Fellow, Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, who will discuss the major changes and developments in the Horn over the last decade and what these changes mean for the next generation of Somalis by reflecting on the theme of this year’s festival: “decade: looking forward, looking back”. Upcoming London Poet Sagal Gabay will do a poetry reading and the evening will conclude with a traditional lively dance show featuring the Somali Dance Group Qoraan.
Prior to the launch, there will be a Reception in the Foyer 6-7pm where drinks and nibbles will be served.
During this event, there is an opportunity to experience ‘Nomad’; a new Mixed Reality project by Abira Hussein and Mnemoscene that invites you to explore Somali cultural heritage and tradition in a uniquely immersive way. Wearing the HoloLens headset you can experience holographic Somali artefacts in the context from which they came.