‘Hommage Fatima Mernissi’

Fatima Mernissi died in Rabat at the age of 75 on 30 November 2015. As a leading Moroccan sociologist and writer, she was of great importance in the development of feminism in the Muslim world. As a result of her 1975 book Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Muslim Society, she was given the nickname ‘the Simone de Beauvoir of the Maghreb’. The Guardian proclaimed her one of the hundred most influential Arab women. Her oeuvre explores the combined topics of power, gender and Islam and builds bridges between the West and the Arab world.
On this commemorative evening, Yassin Adnan (poet, novelist and journalist), Samira Bendadi (journalist at MO* Magazine) and Najib Elmokhtari (a professor at the Université Internationale de Rabat) will talk with moderator Nadia Dala about how they relate to Fatima Mernissi’s thinking and social action. To round off the evening, Morocco’s greatest singer, Abeer Al Abed, and the Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest will perform an intense and moving programme of Arabic-Andalusian music.

Programma:
18:00: Afterwork reception and networking
19:00: Introduction by Iman Lechkar- Fatima Mernissi Chair Holder VUB
19:15:  Presentations and debate: Yassin Adnan, Samira Bendadi and Najib Elmokhtari on the legacy of Fatima Mernissi. Moderator: Nadia Dala.
20:30: break
21:00: Concert Abeer El Abed & Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest

As part of the Slam the City, Academia Meets Society project, the Fatima Mernissi Chair is organising four activities focusing on Islam and gender in a local and transnational context. Slam the City is a reference to the pounding dynamics in society which the metropolis of Brussels is confronted with. The project provides a platform whereby this energy can be used in a creative and constructive manner to establish a more inclusive and cohesive fabric in Brussels and receives financial support from Sven Gatz, the Flemish Minister of Culture, Media and Youth.