Mezrab House of Stories: Rasha Hilwi, Sobhi Khatib, Sinin Nakhle, Chris Keulemans & Sahand Sahebdivani

Mezrab House of Stories is known for their daring and generous storytelling nights in Amsterdam.
For this occasion Sahand Sahebdivani, founder of the Mezrab, will bring a jaw-dropping line-up of strong and resilient artists to WORM!

With Rasha Hilwi, Sobhi Khatib, Sinin Nakhle, Chris Keulemans.
Host: Sahand Sahebdivani

Together we’ll create a cosy arena in our gallery space, gather around an imaginary campfire.
Surrounded by the pictures of Wahaj Bani Moufleh (PS), we listen to their stories, and maybe share one of our own.

More about the storytellers:
**Rasha Hilwi ** is a Palestinian writer, mother of twin daughters, journalist, editor, DJ, storyteller, feminist and cultural activist. She was born and raised in the city of Akka and now lives in Amsterdam. Her writing and work focus on the questions surrounding “Home بيت” and “Ghorbah غربة” and their intersections with motherhood, femininity, feminism and identity.

Sobhi Khatib is a dedicated advocate for diversity and inclusion. Alongside his work as a Senior Lecturer-Researcher at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Oxford HR, he teaches courses and workshops for diversity officers and hiring managers, and manages a program at the Digital Society School on the intersection of systematic change, technology, and public values. Sobhi also serves as chairman for the Dutch branch of 7amleh, a Palestinian organization focused on digital rights. He also chairs The Hummus Academy, a think-tank exploring the decolonisation of indigenous cuisines.

Sinin Nakhle is a researcher, storyteller and cartoonist. In 2018, Nakhle founded Beirut By Dyke; a web comics series of short stories about being queer in Beirut. The multimedia page, which addresses intersectional issues around gender, sexuality and mental health, is often used as a case study in visual ethnography at the American University of Beirut, Leiden University, SOAS University of London, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Keulemans grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, among other places. He is a traveling writer, moderator and coach. He led three cultural centers in Amsterdam: Perdu, de Balie and the Tolhuistuin and he is active in Verdedig Noord, the movement against the gentrification of his district. Among other things, he helped found Press Now, to support independent media in the Balkans. He has published several books, fiction and non-fiction, and has published numerous articles on art, engagement, migration, music, cinema and war.

**Sahand Sahebdivani ** is co-director of the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival and one of the best known storytellers in the Netherlands. In 2004 he founded the Mezrab, which has since grown into one of the world’s leading storytelling cafes. Sahand arrived in the Netherlands at the age of three as a refugee from the Iran-Iraq war. His and his family’s experiences form the basis of most of his work.