BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN
TZID:America/Detroit
X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:34528@arabamerica.com
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250627T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250627T193000
DTSTAMP:20250609T204239Z
URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/assasi-presents-hakawati-the-storyt
 eller-of-syria/
SUMMARY:Assasi presents Hakawati (The Storyteller of Syria)
DESCRIPTION:PORTLAND\, ME\n\nAll proceeds from this event will go to reunit
 ing Assasi and his family for the first time in thirteen years.\n\nFor thi
 s special performance\, Assasi will weave stories of his native country's 
 culture\, the Syrian 2011 revolution\, and his family's experiences in the
  subsequent civil war through acoustic Middle Eastern music and Arabic hip
 -hop. Bringing the ancient storytelling form of Hakawati into the modern a
 ge\, Assasi will celebrate stories of youth resistance and cultural resili
 ence.\n\nAssasi will be joined by Duncan Hardy on qanun and Eric LaPerna o
 n oud\, ney flute\, and percussion.\n\n[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watc
 h?v=O67GcuJnJ5w[/embed]\n\nAssasi dons the red tarboush (fez) and carefull
 y arranges a scarf on his left shoulder before each performance. He seems 
 trapped between the past\; a golden era of Arab music and culture\, and th
 e utopian future\; a society free of today’s hang-ups and conflicts\, in
  which individuals and their unique gifts flourish in safety. Through each
  performance\, Assasi channels the essence of Hakawati\, the storytellers 
 of Syria. Mixing together the traditional instruments of the Middle East w
 ith modern hip hop beats\, Assasi takes the audience on a journey of his l
 ife weaving together elements of love\, betrayal\, loss\, and happiness.\n
 \nEmerging from Aleppo\, Syria’s most ancient city and cultural capital\
 , Assasi traded his school uniform and basketball shoes for an unwavering 
 commitment to hip hop. Twenty years later he graduated from the School of 
 Adversity with degrees in disappointments\, tragedy\, and exile. When his 
 mentor and Bilad El-Sham movement co-creator Big K was killed\, Assasi use
 d the grief to fuel his first successful release\, "Clinic of Bilad El-Sha
 m." The seven tracks featured classic Oriental samples\, lyrics exploring 
 social issues\, and vocals by Rai singer Cheb Wahid. The delayed release p
 arty featured a live band and kicked off experiments fusing hip hop with v
 arious instrumental accompaniments.\n\nLike so many young Syrian creatives
  during the civil war\, he landed in Beirut for a few years before hardeni
 ng borders drove him to India\, Nepal\, Malaysia\, and finally the United 
 States. Hip hop remained Assasi’s anchor through it all. His upcoming pr
 oject\, “Third World Wide\,” reflects this global journey as well as t
 he friends\, influences\, and lessons Assasi picked up along the way. Assa
 si is now based in Biddeford\, Maine. His music remains a fusion of the Ar
 abic-language rap with a rich tapestry of modern and traditional sounds fr
 om the Arab world and the diverse cultures he has encountered since leavin
 g Syria in 2012. While he remains unable to safely return to Syria\, Assas
 i leverages hip-hop’s collaborative storytelling using the tradition of 
 Hakawati style to connect with his home culture and build solidarity in hi
 s adopted communities.\n\n
LOCATION:SPACE\, 538 Congress St\, Portland\, Maine\, 04101\, United States
GEO:43.655619;-70.261221
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=538 Congress St\, Portland\
 , Maine\, 04101\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=SPACE:geo:43.65
 5619,-70.261221
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Detroit
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20250309T030000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
END:VCALENDAR