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Razan Samara

Return

by Razan Samara
November 4 to 23, 2024

November at Jamii: An Artistic Exploration of Palestinian Culture 


Join us this November for a captivating artistic journey into Palestinian culture, curated by our lead artist for the month, Razan Samara. Under the theme of "Return", Razan has brought together a talented group of artists to guide you through a cultural exploration deeply rooted in ancestral practices. 


Through "Return", Razan invites us to reconnect with traditions like dance, song, language, and crafts that ground us in our communities, lands, and histories. Razan is a Palestinian community worker, artist, and researcher based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Since 2020, she has been deeply involved in reviving stories of Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) and cultural resistance, facilitating tatreez circles and developing the Tatreez Library, a digital archive dedicated to this craft. She is also a member of the New Committee at Hamilton Artists Inc., an initiative focused on increasing community engagement through decolonization and intersectionality. Additionally, Razan is a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, and a researcher at the Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab, which emphasizes Indigenous feminist ethics. Her creative work and research reflect her dedication to exploring the relationships, resistance, and youth activism shared by Palestinian and Indigenous communities on Turtle Island. 

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Monday Dancing

Workshop Lead: Mona Ayesh

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Wednesday Sewing

Workshop Lead: Anita Boey

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Saturday Mingling

Lead Artist: Razan Samara

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Tuesday Discovering

Culture Cloths

Designer: Sabrine S. Hakam

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Thursday Creating

Painting Night

Workshop Lead: Ibrahim Abusitta

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Tuesday Discovering

Book Club

Workshop Lead: Sarah Abu-Sarar

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Thursday Creating

Crafting Night

Workshop Lead: Nadia Shammas

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Tuesday Discovering

Creative Writing

Workshop Lead: Leen Amarin

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Friday Singing

Workshop Lead: Natalie Fasheh

RAZAN SAMARA


Razan Samara is a Palestinian community worker, artist, and researcher living in Tkaronto/Toronto. Since 2020, Razan has been deeply engaging with stories of Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) and cultural resistance, facilitating tatreez circles, and developing Tatreez Library, a digital resource on the craft. Razan is a member of the New Committee at Hamilton Artists Inc., an initiative that works to increase community engagement in the arts through the lens of decolonization and intersectionality. Razan is also a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto and a researcher at the Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab, a collaborative research lab based in Indigenous feminist ethics. Her creative work aligns with her research interests, which include working from Indigenous epistemologies to consider the relationships, joint resistance, and youth activism between Palestinian and Indigenous communities living on Turtle Island. 

Photo by Sabrine S. Hakam