From January through April 2025, we are organizing new workshops in Madrid under the title “Embroidering dreams of a Palestinian garden” with the support of AECID.

The 2025 workshops give continuity to the project Threads of the Diaspora: Weaving scraps of Palestinian heritage, begun last year. At these gatherings, we will be collectively embroidering “Dreams of a Palestinian garden” without rubble, which we will be connecting to the central panel of the Palestinian dress from Gaza that we are putting together using the pieces from the fall workshops and those that you have sent in to us from home.

Each participant will be given one of the 20 pieces of the rolling garden that will be hung from the panel and the embroideries of “Threads of the Diaspora,” containing different motifs designed by the Spanish-Palestinian teacher and artist Maysun Cheikh Ali Mediavilla, who will be teaching the workshops. At the following workshops, participants will take up the embroidery of these pieces until the collective work has been completed. It will be put on display with the Gazan dress panel at Casa Árabe.

The workshops/gatherings are defined as spaces for meeting and exchange. Those of you who have already participated in previous workshops will be able to come and start embroidering right away. For those of you who are coming to learn about it for the first time ever, there will be a theoretical presentation (15 min), about tatreez in Palestinian history and culture, its regional variants, its dimensions and meaning, plus a practical embroidery session.

This program is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). 

For yet another year, our Reading Club is back, providing an opportunity to get a closer look at authors of Arab literature and delve into some of the most outstanding titles in world literature in general. Those who take part will have the opportunity to carefully explore a selection of significant literary works, encouraging dialogue and the sharing of ideas in an enriching environment.

The five in-person sessions, to be held at Casa Árabe’s Madrid headquarters, will be starting on January 28 and will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

· Tuesday, January 28, Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Ray Bradbury

· Tuesday, February 11, The Perfume of the Night Flowers (2021), Leila Slimani

· Tuesday, February 25, A Very Respectable Gentleman (1981), Naguib Mahfuz

· Tuesday, March 11, Things I’ve Kept Quiet (2010) Azar Nafisi

· Tuesday, March 25, Superman Is an Arab (2012), Joumana Haddad

In order to participate in the Reading Club, you must attend the first session after having read the first book. In addition, Casa Árabe will be explaining how the club works once participants have signed up. You can download the books or order them at the Casa Árabe Bookstore The sessions will be facilitated by Javier Fonseca, from the Escuela de Escritores.


Javier Fonseca
A writer of children’s and youths’ literature who has authored more than twenty publication in his own name or with a pen name (Isaura Lee), including Pastel de moras (Blackberry Pie, published by Algar eds. 2013), El visitante del otro lado (The Visitor from the Other Side, Diquesí eds. 2016) and Zampalabras (Word Eater, Nórdica eds. 2018), 17+85 españoles geniales que lograron su sueño (17+85 Amazing Spaniards Who Lived Their Dream, 1785 eds. 2019), Amigos imaginarios (Imaginary Friends, published by San Pablo eds., 2020) and La familia Muchasleguas (The ‘Many-Leagues’ Family, published by La Esfera de los Libros, 2020).

At the Escuela de Escritores, he teaches children’s and youth writing and creative writing and storytelling for young people and adults, projects and children’s and youth writing in the Specialization Course in Teaching Creative Writing and Children’s Poetry in the Master’s Degree in Poetry. Since 2014, he has also been responsible for the children’s and youth book recommendations given by the cultural magazine Adiós. He occasionally contributes to other cultural publications (Cuatrogatos, LIJ digital magazine) and radio shows (La estación azul de los niños, RNE). Along with this, he coordinates youth and adult reading clubs at public libraries, in bookstores and on digital platforms. He is also an oral storyteller, telling stories in squares, cafés, universities... or any other space where people might be willing to listen.

He combines his literary work with a dedication to creative thinking and social awareness. He has been a university professor (USP-CEU) and has worked at Cáritas Española for more than ten years as national head of development education, training and volunteering. 

Líbano, 1949. El país se enfrenta a una guerra inminente. Dos hermanos de fe cristiana, Emilie y Emir, se embarcan en un viaje a Brasil en busca de mejores días. Durante su viaje, Emilie se enamora de un comerciante musulmán, Omar. Emir sufre celos incontrolables y utilizará sus diferencias religiosas para separarlos. Antes de llegar a su destino final, durante una pelea con Omar, Emir resulta gravemente herido en un accidente con un arma de fuego. La única opción para Emilie es bajar del barco y buscar en una aldea indígena en medio de la selva un curandero que lo salve. Cuando su hermano se recupera, llegan finalmente a Manaos, donde Emilie toma una decisión que tendrá consecuencias trágicas. Retrato de un cierto Oriente es una película sobre memoria, pasión y prejuicios, que cuenta la saga de los inmigrantes libaneses en la selva amazónica.

Marcelo Gomes (Pernambuco, 1963) es un guionista y director brasileño. Licenciado en Periodismo, recibió una beca del British Council para continuar sus estudios con un posgrado en Cine en la Universidad de Bristol. Su ópera prima, Cine, aspirinas y buitres, se proyectó en el Festival de Cannes en 2005 y fue galardonada con el Premio Nacional de Educación de Francia. Su largometraje Viajo porque necesito, vuelvo porque te quiero, que codirigió con Karim Aïnouz, se estrenó en Venecia (Orizzonti) en 2009. Su biopic histórico Joaquim fue seleccionado en 2017 para la Berlinale. Su documental Esperando el Carnaval se estrenó en la Berlinale en 2019, y fue seleccionado para el programa Masters del IDFA (Festival Internacional de Festival de Cine Documental de Ámsterdam) y ganó el Premio Especial del Jurado en el 17º Festival de Cine Ambiental de Seúl en 2020. Su largometraje Paloma se estrenó en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Múnich y ha ganado varios premios en todo el mundo, entre ellos entre ellos el de Mejor Película y Mejor Actriz en el Festival de Cine de Río en 2022. Retrato de un cierto Oriente, su más reciente película, se estrenó en 2024 en el Festival de Rotterdam y ganó el premio de mejor película (Colón de Oro) en el Festival de Huelva.

Ernesto Soto (Lima, 1972) es periodista, guionista y productor. Graduado de las universidades de Northwestern (Chicago, EE.UU.) y Navarra (España) en Periodismo y Gestión de empresas. Socio y fundador de Misti Producciones (São Paulo). Responsable de la producción ejecutiva de los largometrajes Joaquim de Marcelo Gomes (Brasil-Portugal, 2017), Perlimps de Alê Abreu (Brasil, 2022), y Retrato de un cierto Oriente de Marcelo Gomes (Brasil-Italia, 2024). De 2005 a 2013 estuvo al frente de la unidad audiovisual para el Grupo Editorial Sol90 de Barcelona, produciendo documentales y series de animación.  Fue el creador de las series infantiles Javi y el Club de Árbol (2013), Grandes Civilizaciones (2009) y The Time Compass (2010).

These year 2025 workshops, supported by the AECID, are being held to give continuation to the project Threads of the Diaspora: Weaving scraps of Palestinian heritage, begun last year. At these gatherings, we will be collectively embroidering ”Dreams of a Palestinian Garden,” without rubble, which we will be connecting to the central panel of the Palestinian dress from Gaza that we are putting together using the pieces from the fall workshops and those that you have sent in to us from home.

Each participant will be given one of the 20 pieces of the rolling garden that will be hung from the panel and the embroideries of “Threads of the Diaspora,” containing different motifs designed by the Spanish-Palestinian teacher and artist Maysun Cheikh Ali Mediavilla, who will be teaching the workshops. At the following workshops, participants will take up the embroidery of these pieces until the collective work has been completed. It will be put on display with the Gazan dress panel at Casa Árabe.

The workshops/gatherings are defined as spaces for meeting and exchange. Those of you who have already participated in previous workshops will be able to come and start embroidering right away. For those of you who are coming to learn about it for the first time ever, there will be a theoretical presentation (15 min), about tatreez in Palestinian history and culture, its regional variants, its dimensions and meaning, plus a practical embroidery session.

This program is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). 

The 2025 workshops give continuity to the project Threads of the Diaspora: Weaving scraps of Palestinian heritage, begun last year. At these gatherings, we will be collectively embroidering “Dreams of a Palestinian garden” without rubble, which we will be connecting to the central panel of the Palestinian dress from Gaza that we are putting together using the pieces from the fall workshops and those that you have sent in to us from home.

Each participant will be given one of the 20 pieces of the rolling garden that will be hung from the panel and the embroideries of “Threads of the Diaspora” containing different motifs designed by the Spanish-Palestinian teacher and artist, Maysun Cheikh Ali Mediavilla, who will be teaching the workshops. At the following workshops, participants will take up the embroidery of these pieces until the collective work has been completed. It will be put on display with the Gazan dress panel at Casa Árabe.

The workshops/gatherings are defined as spaces for meeting and exchange. Those of you who have already participated in previous workshops will be able to come and start embroidering right away. For those of you who are coming to learn about it for the first time ever, there will be a theoretical presentation (15 min), about tatreez in Palestinian history and culture, its regional variants, its dimensions and meaning, plus a practical embroidery session.

This program is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).