Special programs
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Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair
To mark the holding of the Madrid Book Fair 2022, Casa Árabe is
organizing a full series of activities at its Madrid headquarters,
including poetry, oral storytelling and music, from Friday, May 27 to
Saturday, June 11 after the stands close at the fair.
The schedule of “Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair” includes a Gnawa street parade given by the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid, oral storytelling by Héctor Urién, an on-stage poetry contestrun by Gonzalo Escarpa, director of La Piscifactoría Laboratorio de Creación, and music put on by the DJs of Guacamayo Tropical, drummer Samir Elturky, sounds from the Nile with Wafir Gibril and Sara Habasha, a hip hop singer known as Miss Raisa and the electronic folk of Yacine Belahcene.
Plus, Casa Árabe has invited the artist ZETA (Pablo Herrero) to create two murals inspired by the characters in “The Thousand and One Nights” to be put up on the institution’s perimeter fences along Calle Alcalá and Calle O’Donnell. Passers-by can watch the process of creating the mural day by day.
Plus, Casa Árabe has invited the artist ZETA (Pablo Herrero) to create two murals inspired by the characters in “The Thousand and One Nights” to be put up on the institution’s perimeter fences along Calle Alcalá and Calle O’Donnell. Passers-by can watch the process of creating the mural day by day.
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Night 1: Friday, May 27
May 27, 2022From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.“Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair” will begin with an evening that includes a Gnawa musical parade, oral storytelling and a DJ session.9:30 p.m. Gnawa street parade with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The Gnawa are a popular brotherhood in Morocco and North Africa whose therapeutic practices are a legacy of mystical worship passed down by generations of sub-Saharan Muslims living in the Maghreb. Gnawa music is not only known for its rhythms and sounds, but also its colors, costumes and dances. It is a mix of contributions from black Africa along with the Arabic and Berber.
The musical parade by the Gnawa will be held on all of the dates shown at 9:30 p.m., starting from the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.10:00 p.m. “Alf leila wa leila” Oral storytelling show by Héctor Urién. As a professional storyteller, Urién performs his art and stage work at theaters in Spain and Latin America. As a storyteller, his most original and exciting project is related with The Thousand and One Nights, which he tells one by one every Tuesday at a small theater in downtown Madrid, and once per month at Casa Árabe.10:30 p.m. DJ session with Guacamayo Tropical: Cumbia vs Arab. Guacamayo Tropical DJ’s is a Colombian duo that brings back and spreads the musical tradition between the tropics, creating a fusion with modern rhythms and features. Their mix combines organic instruments with digital beats, performing a cultural and historical search for true gems from little known regions. During their Cumbia vs. Arab session, they will be fighting a entertaining battle between Latin and Arab beats. Guest artist: Samir Elturky. -
Night 2: Saturday, May 28
May 28, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.“Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair” continue. This time around, in addition to the Gnawa music parade and storytelling, we will enjoy the concert “White Nile, Blue Nile,” with Wafir Gibril and Sara Habasha.9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start from the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.10:00 p.m. “Alf leila wa leila” Oral storytelling show by Héctor Urién.10:30 p.m. “White Nile, Blue Nile” concert with Wafir Gibril and Sara Habasha. A journey through the headwaters of the Nile River and the magic of Afro-Arab music. Along with Sudanese multi-instrumentalist Wafir Gibril and the voice of Abyssinia, Sara Habasha, we will be traveling through the different musical registers of these fertile lands through their rhythms and cultures. -
Night 3: Thursday, June 2
June 02, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.This Thursday, “Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair” is back with its musical parade, storytelling and music, once again with the DJs from Guacamayo Tropical.9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start at the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.
10:00 p.m. “Alf leila wa leila” Oral storytelling show by Héctor Urién.
10:30 p.m. DJ session with Guacamayo Tropical: Cumbia vs Arab. Guacamayo Tropical DJ’s is a Colombian duo that is bringing back and spreading the musical tradition among the tropics, creating a fusion with modern rhythms and features. Their mix combines organic instruments with digital beats, performing a cultural and historical search for true gems from little known regions. During their Cumbia vs. Arab session, they fight a entertaining battle between Latin and Arab beats.
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Night 4: Friday, June 3
June 03, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62) From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.At today’s session of “Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair,” our musical performer will be hip hop singer Miss Raisa.9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start from the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.
10:30 p.m. ”Alf leila wa leila” storytelling show by Héctor Urién.
10:30 p.m. Miss Raisa in concert. Imane Raissali Salah, better known as Miss Raisa, is a 25-year-old psychology student, singer, influencer, writer and communicator, who has been active since November 2019 creating music within the hip hop movement. Raisa writes about different topics she has to deal with directly in her everyday life, including racism, unequal opportunities, freedom of expression and breaking stereotypes, thus increasing the visibility certain aspects that she lives with on a daily basis.
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Night 5: Saturday, June 4
June 04, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.For the fifth evening of “Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair,” we have planned this performance by a musical trio that will delight us with contemporary Egyptian music.9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start at from Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.
10:00 p.m. “Alf leila wa leila” storytelling show by Héctor Urién.
10:30 p.m. “The Sounds of Cairo” concert with Egyptian percussionist Samir Elturky, Ali Omar Farouk on the Arabic oud and Armen Kusikian on the keyboard. They will be taking us on a journey through contemporary Egyptian music, from the twentieth-century classics to today’s tunes, along with these artists’s Arabic oud, percussion and keyboard.
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Night 6: Thursday, June 9
June 09, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe garden (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.The “Thousand and One Constellations” urban poetry contest is the highlight of today’s session of “Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair.”9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start from the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.10:00 p.m. “A Thousand and One Constellations”: A poetry contest. On Thursday, June 9, “The Thousand and One Nights” will become a magic carpet used for a live competition among urban poets. In a format resembling a poetry slam, Gonzalo Escarpa, director of Piscifactoría Laboratorio de Creación (“Fish Farm Creation Lab”), will lead this battle between bards, couplet writers, troubadours, minstrels, rhapsodists and 40 thieves of rhyme. With the participation of Diego Mattarucco and Celia Bsoul.10:30 p.m. DJ session with Guacamayo Tropical: Cumbia vs Arab.Guacamayo Tropical DJ’s is a Colombian duo that is bringing back and spreading the musical tradition among the tropics, melding it with modern rhythms and elements. Their mix combines organic instruments with digital beats, performing a cultural and historical search for true gems from little known regions. During their Cumbia vs. Arab session, they will be fighting a entertaining battle between Latin and Arab beats. -
Night 7: Saturday, June 11
June 11, 2022From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.MADRIDCasa Árabe Garden and Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). From 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.“Casa Árabe’s Thousand and One Nights at the Book Fair” is coming to an end today with a concert by Yacine Belahcene, who will be presenting his latest album, “Idurar.”9:30 p.m. Musical parade by the Gnawa with the group Dakka Nakhil Madrid. The musical parade by the Gnawa will start from the Casa Árabe / Balqís Bookstore stand (number 83) at the Book Fair. They will walk along the Paseo de Coches in the Retiro Park until reaching Calle O’Donnell, 1, where they will enter Casa Árabe’s garden.
10:00 p.m. “Alf leila wa leila” storytelling show by Héctor Urién.
10:30 p.m. Yacine Belahcene in concert. Straddling the two cultures to which he belongs, Algeria’s and Catalonia’s, Belahcene is presenting “Idurar” (“mountains” in Amazigh), a new album that roams the Mediterranean with echoes from Algiers, Marseille, or Barcelona. A musical admixture that expands beyond folk and indigenous traditional music, incorporating powerful electronic features to resemble urban music, a familiar path for the former leader and participant in projects like Cheb Balowski, Nour, Transadelica and Rumbamazigha.