with Khansa & Zyad Al-Seblani (Zuhal)
This panel will explore the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ performers in Beirut, where homosexuality is still considered a crime. Speakers will discuss how queer artists navigate censorship and surveillance to express their identities and create meaningful work. They will also examine the ways in which digital spaces have become vital for queer expression and activism in the city.
Panelists:
Khansa is a contemporary Arab singer/songwriter, dancer, actor, and music producer who breaks stereotypes of traditional East Mediterranean values regarding masculinity, through his movement and genre-bending music which draws on a variety of styles. Khansa's concert is a series of eclectic scenes of cultural references from religion to art, to coffee with an ex, to bed, telling an untold story about the Middle East, and celebrating love, intimacy, eroticism, and the Arab queer identity.
Recently, he was the main character in the queer Arab film "Warsha" that won the award for Best Short Film at Sundance Film Festival and for which he received 7 international awards for his performance and choreography.
Zyad Al-Seblany, known as Zuhal, is a 28-year-old Lebanese artist and drag queen. With a background in cinema, TV, and theater, he has expanded his skills to include improv, playback theater, and drama therapy. He has been instrumental in popularizing drag art in the Arab world, translating it into Arabic as "Fann El Jarr". Zuhal has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has fearlessly spoken about these issues on platforms like LBCi's "Ahmar Bel Khat el Areed". As a performer, Zuhal has done over 100 performances in Beirut, the UK, Netherlands, and Turkey. He won several awards such as the Grand Prize at Beirut's Grand Ball and Best Acting at Loyac FilmFest. Zuhal became the first drag workshop trainer in the region, partnering with Haven for Artists.
