9 LivesSarawak, Malaysia

Group of Artists

9 Lives is an art community serving as a platform to empower and promote artists from Sarawak. Named after Kuching which means ‘cat’ in Malay, 9 Lives was founded in 2014. It engages the local community and encourages an exchange of new ideas through meaningful art-based activities.

It focuses primarily on young talents from various visual arts disciplines such as drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design, textile design, photography, graffiti and street art. It aims to inspire and empower Sarawak’s upcoming artists to achieve higher levels in their craft. It connects them to both fellow artists and industry players. It also fosters more beautiful and unified Kuching through the development of a vibrant creative sector.

Andrew BongSarawak, Malaysia

Composer, Orchestrator and Music Producer

Andrew Bong is a ground-breaking concert music innovator who invents new musical projects consistently with professional collaborators. Besides that, he also composes music for films. He won the Gold Award for Best Score at NYC Indie Film Awards in 2016, an Honorable Mention in Massachusetts in the Young Artist State Composition in 2014 and Leroy Southers Award from Berklee Professional Writing and Music Technology Spring Awards 2015.

He was also on the Berklee College of Music Dean’s List and where he’s currently pursuing a master’s degree. According to his mentor Michiru Oshima, although Andrew is young, he has an impressive grasp of knowledge and music composition skills for film-scoring.

Chris BurkardUnited States

Filmmaker, Producer and Surfer

Chris Burkard is a photographer and artist, based in California’s central coast region. His work is layered by landscape, lifestyle, surf, outdoor and travel subjects. He produced numerous movies, namely, Under an Arctic Sky, The Cradle of Storms, Arctic Swell, Faroes: The Outpost vol. 2, and Russia: The Outpost vol. 1.

He received several awards such as the PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA) Visionary Photographer Award, 2016. His other notable awards are the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown April 2013, Red Bull Illume: Category Finalist (Spirit) 2013, The World Open of Photography Second Place Open Winner 2012 and Look Between Photo Festival 2010.

Dato’ Dayang Fatimah Tom Abang SaufiSarawak, Malaysia

Fashion designer

Dato’ Tom Abang Saufi is a well-known name in the world of Malaysian fashion industry. She draws inspiration from the strong ethnic iconic images of Borneo and, in particular, Sarawak. This is evident in her choice of using songket designs, nature and wooden carvings used for batik in her work. Her clothes have been shown at many prestigious venues such as WIEF (World Islamic Economic Forum), Asia House and Whitehall in London.

She was one of five designers chosen to design the 50th anniversary Barbie doll alongside world renowned names such as Karl Lagerfeld and Pucci. She has been awarded many titles and awards including Malaysian Designer of the Year at Malaysian International Fashion Awards in 2004, Ethnic Designer of the Year in 2006 and Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (D.I.M.P.) by DYTMM Sultan of Pahang.

She’s an advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education, fashion councils and Sarawak Fashion Awards. She also mentors students from community colleges.

Jerry KamitSarawak, Malaysia

Singer, song writer & Musician

A full-time musician with Kampung Budaya Sarawak since 1996. He is an Iban singer, song writer and musician. He has collaborated in several albums and has a couple of albums of his own.

Musical instruments he plays are the sape, percussion, accordion, mandolin, guitar, bamboo flute, wooden xylophone and ukulele.

Julien CottetParis, France

Musician

Julien Cottet is a French artist living in Kuching and known for his strummings on the sape. He also aims to promote Sarawakian culture through his music and teaches how to play the instrument.

Loyce GayoTanzania

Spoken Word

Loyce Gayo is born in Tanzania and is currently pursuing a degree in African Diaspora Studies with a minor in mathematics at the University of Texas in Austin. Her time in the diaspora and her constant desire to go home has influenced craft. She’s the slam champ of the UT Spitshine Poetry Slam team who won the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational in Boulder Colorado. She currently serves as a member of the Austin TheySpeak Youth Slam.

Malik MazlanSingapore

Calligrapher

Malik Mazlan is a Singaporean Malay whose passion for Chinese calligraphy has brought him throughout Asia from Tokyo to Beijing.  As a young practitioner that is brought up in a multicultural society, it has always been as aspiration for him to use the skills and insights that he had obtained throughout his life. He is currently in pursuit of creating works which can be appreciated by those in a multicultural society.

Nading RhapsodySarawak, Malaysia

Avant-garde Borneo Ethnic Musician

Nading Rhapsody’s music presentation is a unique adaptation of ritual chanting, old lullabies, folk songs, myths and stories of ethnic groups in Sarawak. They present a different arrangement of cross-cultural element with contemporary music. The band has also composed a few original songs. Nading Rhapsody has a unique approach to expressing their love of reviving Sarawakian old legacies. Their piece resembles the origins and cultural roots of each band member. They’re often experimental, radical and provocative – both in their song arrangements and their image.

NAME OF BAND MEMBERS:
Christ Sheldon Anak Merun
Petyson Anak Pateh
Royston Kulleh Anak Sylvester Angkabang
Keevin Hansi Anak Lasam
Randy Walter Anak Ben Diomedes
Adrian Anak Lasam
Azhfar Raimi Binti Mua’az Johary

Nisa AddinaSarawak, Malaysia

Violinist

A Sarawakian, Nisa Addina first performed at MOCAfest when she was 16-years-old. Since then, she has performed three more times at MOCAfest. She’s currently at Berklee College of Music in Boston maintaining a GPA of 3.95. She received masterclass guidance from maestro violinist Idris Sardi from Indonesia. She was the youngest participant representing Team Malaysia to Hollywood in the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) match in Los Angeles, California. She was the first Malaysian to win the World Grand Champion Junior Instrumentalist. She won three gold medals in the genre category of classical, original and contemporary and one silver medal in the open category. She has two albums, Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Yakina

Rizal Abdul HadiSarawak, Malaysia

Musician

Rizal Abdul Hadi is a musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, Indonesian folk singer, story teller, painter and social activist. He dedicates his music and art to struggle for a real change towards a more creative Indonesia and World.

He created a new instrument, Rasendriya, from bamboo by combining guitar with didgeridoo and percussion. He further explores the use of bamboo for instruments. Rizals latest project is his Bamboo Lapsteel Guitar.

Sead KazanxhiuAlbania

Visual Arts

Sead Kazanxhiu is an independent artist from Tirana, Albania. As well as being a member of the Alliance for the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture Institute that opened in Berlin in June 2017, he most recently participated in the Autostrada Biennale in Kosovo. Sead also volunteers in his free time to run art therapy classes for Roma children in Tirana.

Steve ThorntonUnited States

Musician

Steve Thornton was born and raised in New York before he moved to Malaysia in 1997. He worked and recorded with well-known artists and musicians and formed his first group, The Young Explosives, a four-piece Latin-jazz ensemble, in 1968. He played for the Brazilian

band of pianist Dom Salvador and percussionist Dom Um Romao. Then, went on to become the conga player for Harry Belafonte for four years, appearing on his record, television shows and tours.

He has performed live and made recordings with some of the most well-known jazz artist in the world such as Sadao Watanabe, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson. He released an album, Nature’s Plan and is a leader of his bands, Steve Thornton Quartet, Steve Thornton Malaysia All Stars and the Afroasia Percussion Group.

Taye BalogunTanzania

Film director, Photographer and Activist

Taye’s work is inspired by his life’s experience, other people’s life experiences, good and bad influences through social interaction, critical thinking and cultural values. He co-produced his first feature film with Impression Films titled 12.30, an anti-corruption campaign film that was supported by anti-corruption agencies like UNODC, NFC and Microsoft.

Taye has directed Broadway musicals which includes, Once on This Island, Fiddler On The Roof and Grease. He directed documentaries for international NGOs and consulted for various charity projects locally and abroad. His gives free media training, speaking at institutions across the continent on pan-Africanism, entrepreneurship, and leadership, and strongly advocates youth and women empowerment.

He studied chemistry at the University of Lagos and went on to study film at the National Film Institute in Jos Nigeria, and majored in cinematography as well as photography.

Animal Pop Dance

Animal pop inspired by local tradition and urban culture like outside Indonesia.

said animal or animals dances inspired by the tradition in Indonesia that almost all of them have the same inspiration to those of animals. , For example, move like birds, kangaroos, reptiles, fish, monkey, chicken and much more.

Pop = word itself was inspired from a culture of the city changing that developed following the trendy. eg Hiphop style style, Modern Dance, Ballet, cartoon films, Animation and Mtv ..

The second element of the above then mix well with the ancient human imagination ape walking upright in the past that his life hunting, fishing, walking looking for Tumbi vegetation and on the move.

All of the elements mentioned above into power than what is in movement in a dance I call Animal Pop Dance.

Ayu LaksmiIndonesia

Ayu Laksmi is the leading Balinese diva in Indonesian World music. She was born as I Gusti Ayu Laksmiyani in Singaraja, Bali on November 1967. She is not only a singer, but also a gifted song-writer, dancer, actress and theatre performer. Ayu Laksmi travelled through and explored many musical genres before arriving where she is now. Her music employs these many musical expressions from across Indonesian culture and it’s religions.

Her creative process was doing autodidact in her young age. She is constantly developing and honoring her skills. She is consistent to sharpen her talent in the art of sound and now she’s able to serve it in art performance. She chooses Bali as a place to process. She learns by herself from the literature and music discography . Identity ,comprehend fully experience, and trying are never ending process. In fact , she does it ‘ til now.

Her new solo album entitled SVARA SEMESTA 2010 & SVARA SEMESTA 2 2015 features religious and spiritual undertones, presented in an innovative contemporary format within the World Music genre. Her songs are performed in 7 different languages, including Sanskrit, Kawi, Balinese, Indonesian and English,Malay and latin. Ayu’s contemporary version of an ancient Kawi poem is an integral part of her spectacular show, with a haunting performance that showcases Ayu’s vocal abilities and spectacular stage presence. On stage Ayu’s husky alto is sometimes deep and heavy, at other times, sharp and shrieking, then smooth and sensual. All fusing into a distinctive style that has become her trademark. During her live performances, the audiences are always seriously engaged with her music and dance with joy. Along with the launch of her new solo album Svara Semesta , Ayu Laksmi formed a new musical collective, also named Svara Semesta, comprised of talented and young musicians mostly from Bali but also from different corners of Indonesia. For the live theatrical performances, Ayu Laksmi collaborates with the Indonesia’s leading art directors, choreographers and dancers. She has performed all over Indonesia at the highest levels and has been invited to Festivals around the World.

David Gunn

Artist and Producer

David Gunn is an artist and producer working across the borderlines of art, education and participatory practice.

Particular projects include: an interactive sound installation in a condemned community housing block in Phnom Penh (The Room); a museum exhibition showcasing actual museum objects alongside fictive histories written by local school children (Museum of Lies); live audio-visual performances created entirely from the vocal contributions of audience members (pyka_vox); an improvisation quartet working with traditional cambodian musicians, combining khmer folk music with modern electronics (Krom Monster.

His work includes commissions and projects for institutions including Cambodian Living Arts, Asian Development Bank, National Museums Wales, Tate, the Roundhouse, Opera North and more.

He is currently focusing on the development of pyka, using digital creativity to unlock better learning in schools And White Noise, a multi-disciplinary combination of artistic commissions, exploratory journalism and site-specific interventions that seek to research and positively influence the processes of urban development and change in London’s White City.

Etson CaminhaTimor Leste

musician

Born in 1984 in Los Palos, Timor-Leste, Etson is one of the best known and most accomplished musicians of his generation. He plays bass guitar in the well-known band Galaxy, one of the only Timorese acts to have been invited to perform at international festivals. (Darwin Festival in 2006 & 2008; and the Sines festival in Portugal, 2010) He is also one of Timor’s most creative and in-demand percussionists.

A veteran of the Arte Moris free art school, he established and taught in the music department there. Currently he is busy as one of the central organzers of the annual Festa Múzika, supported by the EU, now in its third year in Dili.  Etson distinguishes himself as a multi-genre artist who incorporates traditional instruments into creative performances; and as an organizer with the respect from all sides necessary to bring people from different realms together.  He is regularly involved in voluntary work for smaller public arts events. After years of dedicated work he is finally being formally recognized as an important part of the cultural life of East Timor; he was a featured speaker at the prestigious TEDx Dili earlier this year. He is married and a father of 3 children.

Fauzi YusoffMalaysia

Visual Artist

Fauzi Yusoff is a visual artist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He explores audio visual aesthetics, crossing into new media technology.

His works advocate the need for a strong relationship between audio and moving images. Traditional and culture is central to most of Fauzi’s imagery as he searches visual inspirations. They may relate in ways of contradiction to harmonization, inevitably converging into an experience that is both exciting and melancholic.

Fauzi Yusoff, head visual artist and director of Efozy, is critically acclaimed for his futuristic, live optical creations. Each piece by Fauzi Yusoff radiates the unseen and the evolutionary bringing the latest in live and interactive visual installations to audiences world wide.

The mutli-disciplinary nature of Efozy is based on the idea that aesthetic design is best appreciated through innovative communication. It is this concept of the ‘here and now’ that makes the work of Efozy one of the most revolutionary to grace the globe.

Captivating audiences since the studio’s conception, the team at Efozy have built up a portfolio of work with various clients in arts fields. For more info about Fauzi Yusoff’s works, check out:

http://www.efozy.com

http://www.fauziyusoff.com/profile.pdf

Gardu House

Gardu House is an Art Space which established in 2012 and founded by some Graffiti artists named Artcoholic.  They have a goal to fulfill what they are actually needed for the community such as a workplace, exhibition space and store to nurture collaboration and growth amongst artists.  As time goes by, Gardu House beacme a place to communicate and exchange amonsgst both local and international artists.

Gardu house consist fo 3 divisions: Exhibition space, street art shop, and visual studio.

G&B and Haryo Sasongko

The idea of painting Batik on electric guitar came to our founder, Haryo Sasongko (Kongko), 15 years ago. Started with customizing some of his branded guitars collection, the beautiful art pieces soon gain recognition from his family and colleagues. Inspired by the feedback and the will to create an “original production” guitar, Kongko started to create his own guitar’s design and specification, and from that process was born the first line of original production guitars, which then he branded as G&B Guitars. G&B Guitars did not stop there with the development. The reason was not only we wanted to paint beautiful batik design on our guitar, but we also tried to make each of it to meet the standard of professional guitarist demand. Therefore we worked hard to develop the design that brings comfort and great playability. Finally, after 10 years of what we so called “research & development” program, in 2011 G&B Canting Guitar, our original production guitar that has gained positive feed backs from players and art collectors. Later on it was followed by our other models, G&B Canting Bass. Also in 2011, the legalization process of G&B was started. Today G&B is a registered brand, a registered and established company under the name of PT. Gitar Batik Produktama.

Ismail BasbethIndonesia

Filmmaker, Creative Producer & Programmer

Born in Wonosobo, a mountain city in north of Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 1985. He had studied traditional music and communication studies before fall in love in filmmaking. He studies about film autodidact before participating in international programs such Asian Film Academy in South Korea and Berlinale Talent Campus in Germany. From 2008 he was producing and directing ten short films which have been highlighted in the festival film circuit around the world before making feature-films. He was making a remarkable debut in feature film by releasing three films in about one year. ANOTHER TRIP TO THE MOON (2015), his first feature-film was nominated for HIVOS-Tiger Award and NETPAC Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2015. His second feature, MENCARI HILAL (2015) was nominated for Asian Future Award at Tokyo International Film Festival 2015 and also nominated in seven categories, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director at Indonesian Film Festival 2015 and won the award for Best Actor. His third film, TALAK 3 (2016) is commercially successful in Indonesia and gained outstanding reputation from mainstream media and film critics.

He is a producer and co-founder of Hide Project Films, an independent production house which focus on how to make films that offer alternatives stories, themes, and techniques based on Indonesian and Asian market interest. He is also the creative director and co-founder of Bosan Berisik Lab, a creative-laboratory, it’s working platform is based on networking, sharing knowledge and information among young filmmakers and artists to empower them on making creative and experimental works. He is also one of the programmer and co-founders of Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting and highlighting the development of Asian cinema and screens it in the cultural city Yogyakarta, Indonesia annually.

Jamal RaslanMalaysia

poet

A trilingual Malaysian who can’t seem to make up his mind between Bahasa Melayu & English as his main language, Jamal Raslan is a poet who is a great example of the conundrum that is the current Malaysian youth – modern, exposed, liberal but yet struggling to find a sense of belonging in the identity crisis that rocks every English-speaking Malay Muslim. Equally at home conversing & thinking in Bahasa Melayu & English, he used to write poetry exclusively in Bahasa Melayu as he didn’t think he has an English writing “voice”, until Youtube introduced him to spoken word.

Heavily inspired by spoken word poets around the world, from slam poets to Def Poetry to the articulate & emotive African poets at Poet’s Passport, he writes about the the challenges that the country & it’s people face in its pursuit for progress & Wawasan 2020 in a way that he hopes will one day help form a unique “voice” that is Malaysian spoken word.

Krom Monster

Krom Monster are a unique collaboration between UK and Cambodian musicians.

On their eponymous debut and the subsequent Versions Metal Postcard, 2014, Krom Monster sketch out a unique take on Cambodian musical traditions, where ancient melodies combine with ragged beats, digital noise and lush soundscapes.

The band emerged from a series of residencies bringing together Cambodian and British musicians. This residency was conceived and supported by Cambodian Living Arts, a major force in promoting the recovery and rejuvenation of contemporary khmer music. and Incidental, a contemporary arts organisation in the UK.

The result is an energetic live performance that resamples traditional instruments, reworking traditional themes and blending Khmer themes with contemporary electronics, urban musics and free improvisation.

Live shows are accompanied by responsive video projections developed by David Gunn and Tith Kanitha, that deconstruct a collage of footage from contemporary and historical Cambodia.

Krom Monster features Sour Vanna on Gong Tum, Chamroeun Phan on Tro Sao, Lun Panith on Ksae Diew and David Gunn on laptop.

Nouha SalehIndonesia

Nouha Saleh was born and raised in Jakarta. Since her early childhood she has always been enjoying drawing and paintings. Having learning to read The Holy Qur’an and writing in Arabic at the nearby Madrasa (Islamic School) for a few years, the love of calligraphy began to grow in her.

After high school she continue her study at “Swinburne University of Technology” in Melbourne, Australia where she received her Bachelor of Design degree.  She continue her life journey to Montreal, Canada where she then co-design the book “Pipe Fiend: A Visual Overdose of Canada’s Most Infamous Skate Spot”, design Montreal’s famous Hip Hop group Nomadic Massive “Nomad’s Land” first album and a few other projects. Her work mostly incorporates illustration, design and calligraphy.

Nunung PrasetyoIndonesia

Nunung Prasetyo, born and grew up in Bantul, Yogyakarta Indonesia, is a man with various status and jobs. He is a supporter, culinary businessman, and also an active member of MES 56 artist collective. In the last couple of years, he is interested in discussing the issues related to family and local culture practices, which began from series of works titled “Melancholic Picnic” in 2014 and “Holy Picnic” in 2016.

Putri SulistyowatiIndonesia

Ambassador & Program Coordinator, Indonesian Heritage Trust, and Creative Director, G&B Guitars

Growing up surrounded by Javanese culture and tradition, Putri is passionate about spreading awareness on the importance of conserving cultural heritage. She pursued her education in Master of Science in Historic Building Conservation in London, after graduating from architecture school.

She later began her modelling career in Jakarta, and graced covers and editorials in well-known magazines. She moved to London, walked for London Fashion Week for 3 seasons and was a regular for in-house presentations such as FCUK and UNIQLO.

Currently, she is back in Jakarta contributing to heritage conservation and the modeling industry.

Rasmee WayranaThailand

singer and song writer

Rasmee is a singer and song writer from North East Thailand. She began singing at the age of 5 with her father, founder of Jariang band (Khmer folk singing). At the age of 13 she joined the local band in Isaan region. Her music is the unique mixture of traditional Mor lam-Jariang cultures with Soul. She calls her singing style “Isaan Soul”. Currently living in Chiang Mai, she has collaborated with various foreign musicians (Poni Hoax (France), Limousine (France), Bamako Express (Israel-Thailand), etc.) and frequently invited to Europe to play and record music. In March 2016, Rasmee got 3 national “Kom Chad Luek” awards as best female singer of the year, best album “Isaan Soul” and best song “Maya”.

Restu AnggrainiIndonesia

Restu Anggraini, Graduate from Event Management (MICE – State Polytechnic of Jakarta), Studying Fashion in Phalie Art Studio and ESMOD, Jakarta. Restu Anggraini is well-known for her contemporary, modern, and clean modest wear designs.

Its authenticity, combined with a modern touch and highly perfected details, such as her beautifully-crafted woven and modern twist technique, formed ETU signature as a simply chic, modest, and classic professional work wear. She is well-known Muslim Fashion Designer showcasing her collection in numerous Jakarta Fashion Week events and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo 2015.

On JFW 2016, The Australia-Indonesia Centre, with the support of chief sponsor ANZ, Melbourne Fashion Festival and Jakarta Fashion Week announced that the winner of the 2016 Young Indonesian Fashion Designer of the Year Award is ETU. Thus, ETU represents Indonesia in Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2016.

Instagram:

@restuanggraini

@etuofficial

Website:

www.etuforvamff2016.com

Tony AmaralTimor Leste

visual artist

Tony is a visual artist from East Timor. Born in 1984, he grew up in Dili under Indonesian occupation, which has had a profound impact on his arts practise. He was a founding member of the Arte Moris Free Art School artist collective and was involved in many peace-building activities throughout Timor-Leste. In 2010 he graduated from the National Art School in Sydney, Australia. He has exhibited in Australia, Switzerland, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. He has also exhibited work in the 15th and 16th Asian Art Bienniale in Bangladesh. In 2014 he participated in the Darwin Festival, Melbourne’s Gertrude Street Projection Festival and Timor-Leste’s first ever public arts festival, Arte Publiku. He is a talented painter, sculptor and multi-media artist. More recently his focus has been on urban arts – graffiti, street art, stencilling – bringing his artistic expression onto the streetscape.

Wani ArdyMalaysia

singer/songwriter

Whether you want to or not, you simply CANNOT ignore Wani Ardy or her band Wani Ardy & The Guitar Polygamy. The seven piece combo has had an eventful year so far; an expanding lineup, a sound that is getting increasingly diverse and difficult to pigeonhole, a barely feasible DIY touring schedule across the peninsula; most of the time going all heart on all four cylinders proving that they are rapidly becoming the little group that COULD.

Marrying the tender, melodic toughness of her early singer/songwriter influences (KT Tunstall, Missy Higgins, Nick & Liesl to name a few) with trippier, slanted fare (recent influences include Sia, Filastine, and Portishead), the upcoming record Raskat is already shaping up to be as eclectic and potentially peerless in its own right; Gelombang Dasar Laut is trip hop with heavy Javanese overtones slathered with feedback and noise, Gula Melaka is poetry underscored with sensual, dreamy synth pop and Lampu Jalan already treads in semi-post rock territory.

Adnan RazviUSA

Fine Artist

Born in Chicago to parents from different continents, Adnan Razvi moved his way south through the United States. Visual art in his life has been a longstanding key to relating and communicating with others.

He prepares to create with a meditative analysis of the diverse American, and globalized experience. He is a painter, sculptor and new media artist. The result is a mashup: modern edge exploration of tenacious forms while continuing centuries old appreciation for aesthetic expression. His collections’ themes have spanned from pop iconography to calligraphy and ‘graffiti’.

Adnan started to show his work in 2007 in Dallas, Texas. Within two years, he was a major developer of a local art collective Solvent in which he created visual and performance pieces. He curently works out of Texas and continues to create new artistic collections.

Alex SubrynMalaysia

Musician

A rocker at heart, Alex Subryn has always known that music would be the pulse of his life. Born and bred in Klang to a home and an environment echoing with music, he was inspired to play the guitar when he was in primary school, making his solo public debut at the tender age of 12.

Between graduating and becoming a familiar name among music enthusiasts, Alex found himself in the desert of Australia. Immersing himself into the lives of the Aboriginal people, this spiritual journey formed an integral part of his life which he attributes to the heartfelt soul rock that he prides his composures on.

Armed with a passion for music, it was finally in 2013 that Alex’s lifelong dream as an artist was set in motion when he released his debut album SUBRYN after three years of working on it. SUBRYN broke into the scene to the successful reception of several awards and nominations, and marked a milestone for Alex’s career in music. And he’s just getting warmed up.

Alia KhanUAE

Founder and Chairwoman of Islamic Fashion and Design Council (IFDC)

Based in Dubai, UAE, Alia Khan is the Founder and Chairwoman of Islamic Fashion and Design Council (IFDC), an organization established for the development of the Islamic fashion and design industry worldwide. IFDC is the world’s leading fashion and design (art, architecture, interiors, etc.) council representing the Islamic economy and its stakeholders. IFDC aligns itself with established and budding mainstream as well as Islamic fashion and design brands, government organizations, institutions, corporations, global conferences, and publications.

Alia pursued Islamic studies in Jordan, following which, her philanthropic interest in the development of the underprivileged areas of the Muslim world became a priority. Alia’s charity commits to upgrade education systems, and eradicate malnutrition with an effective food program.

Alia along with her IFDC team, training programs, and commercial initiatives, is determined to fill the void that she’s identified in the Islamic fashion and arts industry. Alia is a globally recognized industry expert and speaker at top business forums, conferences, and events.

Caravan of PraiseMalaysia

Music Ensemble

Caravan of Praise (COP) is a collective of individual artists of varied background, musical influence and genre. These individuals hold a wealth of experience in their field and area of work, music and artistry.  They consists of eight members, Mahdar Tahir, Erwan Taib, Adib Mutalib, Andy Flop Poppy, SyechRazie, HafiedzUdu, Emran Taib and Ashraf Selaman.  Just like the caravan serai of old, CARAVAN OF PRAISE moves from place to place, city to city, from gatherings and festivals, to carnivals, spreading love and praises through the of sharing songs, music, art, ideas and thoughts. COP is all about the celebration of love and life

Eddin KhooMalaysia

Researcher and Founder of PUSAKA

Dividing his time between KL, London and Kelantan, the graduate of Politics and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology, Eddin Khoo was selected as one of Digi Telecommunications Amazing Malaysians in 2006 and as one of the Asians of the Year 2006 by the Channel News Asia, Singapore.

Following tenure as an arts and culture journalist, he founded the cultural centre Pusaka and the publishing house, Kala, which devotes itself to publishing literary translations from the world’s languages into Malay. Eddin has worked intimately with some of Malaysia’s leading traditional artists including shadow puppeteers, musicians, dramatists and dancers. He has also authored several books and is a regular contributor of comment and opinion to various international newspapers, journals and magazines and is the Southeast Asia correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Late Night Live Program.

Edwige-Renée DROIvory Coast

Writer

Living in Abidjan, the Ivorian writer Edwige- Renée DRO is a laurette of the Africa39 project and the judge for the 2015 PEN International New Voices Award. Edwige is also a short-listed writer for the 2014 Morland Writing Scholarship prize. Her passion lies in bridging gaps through literature, specifically between Anglophone, Lusophone, Francophone and Spanish-speaking Africa. In the hopes of reaching as many people as possible, Edwige is also an advocate for exploring other forms of arts to bring life to literature. Her short stories have been published in the Africa39 anthology published by Bloomsbury, Prufrock magazine, the Valentine’s Day anthology published by Ankara Press among others.

Ezrena MarwanMalaysia

Graphic Designer & Founder

Graphic designer, Ezrena Marwan is passionate about women’s rights, history and design. She is a firm upholder of the 1964 Design Manifesto that calls for “a reversal of consumerism and profit-driven priorities in favor of more useful, lasting and democratic forms of communication”. She is the founder of Malaysia Design Archive and co-founder of SejarahWanita.

Fairuz SulaimainMalaysia

Multimedia Artist

Fairuz  currently creates visual and motion graphics for some of Malaysia’s best known artists such as Liyana Fizi, Bernice Chaly, Deepset and Bittersweet, to name a few.

After studying film and animation at Multimedia University, Fairuz ventured to Paris for six months, undertaking a fully funded internship. During this time he created “Dear Stella”, a video inspired by his own journal entries; using the element of text appearing throughout his video, a melancholic tone, and masking techniques to fully expose the depth and personality of his personal writing.

Fairuz began working on his first art piece, using only a Nokia phone. He captured a karaoke video clip of “This Sweet Refrain”, a story about a man who fell in love with a fish. Recorded at the KLCC Park, Fairuz managed to capture the reminiscent essence of the song, encapsulating the past, the time during which the artist was in love with the fish.

Hamida NovakovichAustralia

Curator

Hamida Novakovich is a Curator, writer, anthropologist, mentor and community arts facilitator. A published Masters student from the University of Western Australia, Hamida’s passion for social development through community arts has lead her to travel from Rome to New York pursuing an emergent field of contemporary arts by Muslim artists from predominantly Western countries.

Hamida’s passion is rooted in grassroots development which stem from her experiences as a second generation Indonesian-Montengrean, Australian Muslim woman. She has over 10 years experience working with disadvantaged communities in Western Australia, especially young people and woman. Noted as a community leader in Perth, Hamida is the founder and Director of Alif Arts Hub and has expanded her projects to New York, where she currently resides. She has a BA in Anthropology and Indonesian with Honors from the University of Western Australia and a Diploma of Secondary Education from Curtin University. In 2014 she undertook a Summer course in Curating in Sotheby’s, New York.

Hamza El FasikiMorocco

Researcher, Social Entrepreneur & Artist

Founded by Hamza El Fasiki, Craft Draft is a social business in Fez, Morocco, which aims at preserving the Moroccan craft by bringing it to the forefront. Hamza is an artist, social entrepreneur and author from Fez and an apprentice artisan etcher in the coppersmith craft since 2013. Apart from that, his music career began in 2004, playing the classical guitar, Andalusian Oud, Harmonica and Ukelele. Hamza is now an independent professional consultant, trainer and facilitator in the field of social entrepreneurship, traditional crafts and reflexive music after gaining international experience on Social Entrepreneurship and Creativity in Morocco, United States, Algeria, Turkey, Japan, Greece and United Arab Emirates.

Kelly CrosbyUSA

Fine Artist

Graduate of fine arts and arts administration, Kelly Izdihar Crosby obtained her bachelor and master degrees from the University of New Orleans. She is an American mixed media artist from the United States. Kelly paints in a variety of styles and subject matters, creating colorful Islamic artwork with a modern art sensibility. Her artwork has been displayed in various art shows and conferences throughout New Orleans, and at venues and galleries in Texas, Georgia, California, Ohio and Canada. As an expatriate living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she displayed her work in art shows in conjunction with DUCTAC (Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre) and the Bastakiya Arts Festival. Kelly’s work is featured in private collections in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  She is a member of the International Muslima Artist Network (IMAN), African Americans for the Arts (AAFTA) and C4 Atlanta.

Leila Younes El-AmaireGermany

Spoken Word Artist

Leila Younes El-Amaire is a slam poetess, spoken word artist and activist. She is an organizer at i,Slam e.V. since it was founded in autumn 2011. i,Slam aspires to empower young Muslims in Germany to use poetry as a powerful platform to express themselves in a beautiful and artistic way. There, she is one of the leading coordinators, head of public relations and also responsible for legal matters. Apart from that she gives workshops about creative writing and performance in schools, youth centres and other institutions. In another project called “Juma” (‘young, active, Muslim’), she takes part as an active member in various campaigns and events. As a representative of “Juma” she is also part of a leading committee, which aims to combine a bigger part of the German organisations with a ‘migration background’, called “the New Germans”.

Low LeafUSA

Harpist, Music composer & Singer/songwriter

Born in Hollywood, of Philipino origin, Low Leaf is currently a Los Angeles based artist. She is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer. Rooted in classical piano since early childhood, she currently combines an array of genres by playing the harp, keys, guitar, singing, and creating beats. Her self-taught harp and production style give way for a more unrestricted and unique sound. Having consistently toured internationally since 2012, Low Leaf is steadily expanding her music and vision across the planet. She ultimately seeks to be a voice of nature and her cosmic ancestors in hopes to heal and reawaken the world as a universal family.

Luqman Sheikh GhazaliMalaysia

Filmmaker

Twenty-one year old Luqman Sheikh Ghazali is a student of the Cinematic Arts Programme at the Multimedia University (MMU) in Malaysia. Passionate about the humanitarian and social issues of the Muslim people, Luqman has done media coverage for NGO’s such as Carefugees, Muslim Professionals Forum and Peace Meal. As director of his production group, he studied under South East Asia’s international professionals of the film industry at the Next New Wave filmmaking workshop where he was chosen by FINAS (the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia) as a participator.

Maïmouna GuerresiItaly

Fine Artist

Maïmouna Guerresi is a photographer, sculptor, and video installation artist living between Italy and Senegal.

The universe of Maïmouna is as much the result of chemistry between cultural and religious influences, as the fusion of different artistic languages. Linked both to Italy and Senegal, to Western culture and Sufi philosophy, her works reflect a dual culture and a dual belonging, and above all, the search for equilibrium between these two worlds.

In 1991 Maïmouna travelled to various Muslim African countries and converted to Islam in Senegal. This marked her new identity and the direction of her work, the adoption of the name Maïmouna, and the recurrence of themes about multicultural symbolism and feminine spirituality.

Maïmouna’s extraordinary artwork has since been shown across the world in both solo and group shows, throughout Italy and Europe, Africa, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.

Marques Young

Trombonist

Since moving to Kuala Lumpur, in 2009, Marques has profoundly contributed to the development of the growing jazz culture in SE Asia. He is currently the Co-Principal Trombonist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) and has initiated several educational projects to mentor young jazz musicians.

Marques began his musical studies at 12 with the euphonium under the direction of Gordon Manley. At 16, he was playing trombone, and in 2001 was accepted into Arkansas Tech University School of Music, studying under Dr. Will Kimball, during which, he received numerous awards and honors.

In 2003, Marques began his studies at the Juilliard School, continuing to find success in solo competitions. Acceptance into the Jazz Studies Programme in 2008 allowed Marques to receive private instruction under Jazz Greats, Wycliffe Gordon and the like.

When he isn’t performing classic symphonic repertoire with the MPO, or leading his band, Q’Sound, Marques performs with the Patrick Terback Quintet, Elevan Fela Orchestra, Najwa, Ireson, and The Bassment Syndicate.

Maryam GolubevaRussia

Fine Artist

Russian born Maryam Golubeva is a Qualified English-Russian translator, teacher, and founder of Lancaster Centre of Russian studies and professional artist.

Her life as an artist began in her early childhood, learning traditional Russian art from the age of 12 and later furthering her studies in drawing. Maryam then graduated from the University of Latvia in 2006 with a degree in Teaching Fine Art and Art History. In the same year she moved to Britain.

Following her spiritual revelation she became inspired by Islamic art. After attending 3 month course in Islamic calligraphy in 2010 she was able to combine her already existing art skills with new insights to create an intricate world of her papercuts.

Of recent, Maryam has been working as a designer, developing bespoke Islamic custom emblems for jewellery companies as well as designing unique Islamic patterns for the Islamic Bank of England. In 2015 Maryam was shortlisted for the annual UK Muslim News Award for achievements in the Islamic art field and started delivering her own workshop programme, teaching Islamic arts in the North West of England.

Muhammad Hafizan Bin Abdul Halim

Calligrapher

Muhammad Hafizan Bin Abdul Halim is a full time artist, working from his parents’ home in Kampung Tualang, Pokok Sena, Kedah. Focusing on traditional art like calligraphy, illumination and ornaments, his current attention is occupied by illumination work from the Malay traditional manuscript. His passion for history serves as a significant influence on his artwork and is the fuel behind his current and future projects, including the full list of royal portraits and a book centering on the history of the royal family.

Muhammad Syukri RosliMalaysia

Researcher-Entrepreneur & Founder

Independent researcher-entrepreneur, Muhammad Syukri Rosli is the founder and director of Klasika Media, a Malaysian Jawi-related company. Klasika Media is in the forefront in enhancing Jawi culture and heritage, through publications, trainings and consultations. Since the establishment of the company in 2011, Muhammad has led international and local projects, such as Majalah Qalam Romanization and Digital Archiving with the Center for Integrated Area Studies in Kyoto, Japan, and Digitization and Romanization of Jawi Texts under Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Creative Grant. He also co-authored Pengantar Ilmu Jawi (Introduction to Jawiology) with Korean professor, Kang Kyoung Seok. Under Muhammad’s leadership, Klasika Media has produced 20 literate Jawi transliterators which are able to read and romanize old Jawi texts. Muhammad is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Philosophy at the Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (CASIS), UTM KL.

Najwa MahiaddinMalaysia

Singer and Songwriter

Born in Malaysia, Najwa Mahiaddin first discovered music at the tender age of 3, fascinated by seeing her sister playing the piano and soon thereafter, began taking piano and vocal lessons herself.

During her time as an engineering student in Melbourne, Najwa was approached to be a featured vocalist and encouraged to pursue a full-time music career. She enrolled at the Berklee Transfer Program in Malaysia, where she formed her first band. Najwa’s music career took off after performing at various events, including opening for Babyface, Ne-Yo and Micheal Bublé.

In 2011 she released her debut album, Innocent Soul, which bagged an award at the AIM and was also nominated for awards at the Shout! Awards.

Her most recent release, Aurora has already been enthusiastically received by the press and will mark a new milestone in Najwa’s career, who is now of celebrity status at the top of the music industry in Malaysia.

Nedda KubbaGermany

Arts Entrepreneur and Designer

A graduate of Communication and Design from Darmstadt University in Germany, Nedda Kubba of Iraqi origin has a wealth of experience in Project Management, IT Consulting and Business Design, working with the likes of BMW, MINI and Oglivy to name a few. Her motivation to work with Arabic calligraphy originally sparked after meeting Eduard Dimasov, a Russain Calligraphy artist, after which she discovered the works of elSeed and Vincent Abadie Hafez, inspiring Nedda to indulge in a combination of calligraphy and graffiti – Calligraffiti. She is currently the CEO and Founder of FENCIL Design Agency, as well as the CEO and Founder of Design Thinking Coaching (DTC).

Pamela Nicole MejiaPhilippines

Fashion Designer

Born and raised in the capital city of the Philippines, the 25 year old “Shoeperstar”, Pamela Nicole Mejia gets her title from the success of her footwear brand. She has been a fashion entrepreneur since the age of 17, and has since launched a T-Shirt business, an online clothing store, a handmade accessories business, and a footwear brand. She believes strongly in making a positive difference in the world, and achieves this through generating profits from her love for fashion and art. Pamela has always been a spirit of the arts, dancing from the age of six, taking on the lead role in school productions, writing poetry and designing and sewing her own clothes in her spare time.

Prof. Dr. Tatiana DenisovaRussia

Professor of Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation

Russian scholar, Professor Dr. Tatiana Denisova obtained her PhD in History, following which; she was appointed as the Head of Research into Sources in History of Islam at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Dr. Tatiana has served as a lecturer in her home country as well as visiting researcher, visiting scholar and visiting Laureate in Malaysia. She is currently a visiting associate professor at the University of Malaya, offering her expertise in the Department of Islamic History and Civilisation, Academy of Islamic Studies. Her published academic materials cover more than 50 titles related to the history of propagation of Islam in the Malay world; Malay-Islamic historical sources and their research methodologies; Malay literary heritage and others.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zainiy UthmanMalaysia

Director of Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation

After pursuing a degree in Physics-Astronomy in the United States, Prof. Dr. Uthman attained a post graduate education in Islamic thought from the University of Chicago. He returned to Malaysia in 1990 where he served at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) as Research Fellow, progressed to Senior Research Fellow and left in 2003 as the Associate Professor of the institute. Following this, he took up the offer to pursue a research program at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at Oxford University, as the British-Chevening Fellow.

Prof. Dr. Zainiy is now Professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilization (CASIS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia International Campus, Kuala Lumpur.

Rav SinghMalaysia

Artistic Director & Founder of The Diplomats of Drums

Performer, producer, artistic director and community arts leader, Rav Singh is a unique personality regarded as one of the best loved percussionists and performers in Asia, instantly recognisable by his trademark turban, energetic performances and larger than life personality.

An award winning percussionist, Rav is the artistic director of Malaysia’s critically acclaimed world music super group, The Diplomats of Drum, and serves as the music director & producer for National Geographic Asia. When not touring the world with The Diplomats, Rav works with a multitude of artists across different genres from around the globe and has won an award from his collaboration with a filmmaker at the Cannes Film Festival!

He is also a propagator of community drumming & music education. Having trained with the legendary Arthur Hull, recognized as the father of the community drum circle movement worldwide, Rav brings his inspiration to diverse communities from corporate executives to kids at risk.

Saba RifatUnited Kingdom

Fine Artist

British-born and based in West Yorkshire, UK, Saba Rifat is a self-taught artist inspired by meditative and contemplative beauty resonating from principles of Islamic art. Based on merit of portfolio and passion, Saba completed her M.A. in Visual Islamic and Traditional Art (VITA) at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, London.

She draws inspiration from colours, shapes, light, the mundane in daily life and surrounding nature, assimilating conceptual reality of ‘pattern is life and life is pattern’.

Her work is influenced by artists including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Bridgette

Riley. Saba paints on gesso boards, wood, and paper, and values the process of making and using natural pigments to harness vibrant colours.

Currently her practice occupies working with geometric forms experimenting in screen-print, photography and 3D polyhedrons installations to produce urban ‘visual dialogues’, to express balance, harmony, and proportion.

Through the multitude of expressive possibilities crystalline patterns lend themselves to, she aims to create engaging, innovative, contemporary and unchartered work strongly rooted in tradition and spirituality.

Sana MalikCanada

Filmmaker

Filmmaker and multimedia storyteller based in Canada, Sana Malik focuses on refugee and immigrant issues. She aspires to change the status quo of how muslim and racialized communities are represented in the media and pop culture. Sana worked for years in international development in the UK, Lebanon, and Tanzania and grew tired of the way media and international development agencies spoke about people on the ground. In 2009, she launched her website, This is Worldtown, featuring first person narratives challenging inauthentic and crisis-driven coverage of racialized groups. Sana has produced short films, written for Canadian publications, and edited a collection of Oral Narratives on Post-9/11 Injustice in America for McSweeney’s Voice of Witness Series. She is now working  to re-launch This is Worldtown as a collaborative video production agency and storytelling platform through establishing connections and hubs globally, connecting as many voices as possible on the ground to larger media agencies — bringing the Town to the World.

Scott LiddleFrance

Country Director

With degrees from Oxford and Harvard behind his name, Scott Liddle has travelled the world as a humanitarian, previously working as a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (Algeria, Libya and Iran) and currently the Country Director of Turquoise Mountain in Afghanistan. An initiative of HRH the Prince of Wales, Turquoise Mountain is a non-profit social enterprise, with a threefold aim of restoring and rejuvenating historic areas, preserving and transmitting traditional skills, and creating jobs, skills, and pride among communities.

Shuhada HassimMalaysia

Photography

Shuhada Hassim is a founder of TAPWomen (The Art of Photography for Women Entrepreneurs); a photography educational program to educate and to inspire groups of women entrepreneurs in Malaysia to cultivate the appreciation of art in photography. Shuhada is currently juggling her versatile roles as a portrait photographer; a trainer at Canon EOS Academy; a part-time lecturer; and a writer/columnist.

While pursuing her career as an external auditor, Shuhada successfully completed an Executive Diploma in Creative Photography & Digital Imaging at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. She discovered her passion for portrait photography, strongly believing that a portrait of a person will feature the best and the unseen connection between his/her physical attributes and inner-self.

After learning of her mother’s cancer diagnosis, with strong determination and compassion, Shuhada reached out to as many breast cancer patients as possible through her portraits hoping to provide emotional support and motivation. In line with her aspirations, Shuhada launched her inaugural solo exhibition, ‘The Beautiful Truth’ in 2013, to express her utmost appreciation and admiration for the strength of the women.

Shuhada’s work on women portraits continues as she continues searching for the beauty and strength in everyday women within their elements.

SuphalaUSA

Tabla Player

A protégé of the great tabla masters Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, Suphala is fluent in a diversity of musical traditions that inform her unique compositions and her highly improvisational performances. Influenced by Western classical, Indian classical, electronic, jazz, folk and soul, her albums break the boundaries of genre and style, while her live performance in Afghanistan broke social boundaries as she was the first musician to play in public since the fall of the Taliban. Suphala and her music have been celebrated in several publications and media outlets including, Vogue, Elle, and Drum!, CNN, NPR, and in the News, Style, and Magazine sections of The New York Times. Among other musicians, Suphala has recorded with Norah Jones, Timbaland, Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Joan Osbourne.

Suphala’s evolving music is bound to continue a trajectory rooted in a deep understanding of the proud legacy of the table.

Tasneem ChopraAustralia

Writer & Cross-Cultural Consultant

A recipient of “Woman of the Year” at the 2013 Australian Muslim Achievement Awards, Tasneem Chopra has also been listed in The Age Magazine’s Top 100 as one of Melbourne’s most influential ‘Movers and Shakers’ and one of The Australian Magazine’s ‘Top Ten Thinkers’. 

She delivers tailored training on issues of diversity and cultural competence, to varied audiences across the spectrum from the welfare to corporate sector, both locally and internationally. Tasneem is also an Associate of Alexandria Agenda, a firm providing solutions to policy dilemmas and conflicts arising from competing economies and cultural attitudes.

She is Chairperson of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights and a board member of Global Reconciliation. She is a familiar voice on both television and radio in Australia and overseas as a social commentator, including The Drum, Q&A, Sunrise, Insight, and The Project.

Tasneem’s career has traversed over two decades across community development and federal politics with an academic background in Psychology & Sociology and a Masters in International Development.

TeaksterUnited Kingdom

Digital Artist

Award winning artist and designer,  Teakster believes that “a Muslim artist should be a mirror for our Islamic heritage”. The last decade has seen Teakster’s work feature in publications and exhibitions across the USA, UAE, Europe and the Far East. His art is an expression of his upbringing and cosmopolitan approach, an experimentation of different styles coming together to harness a bridge between different cultures. Teakster is an inspiration to new artists as an advisor and has been requested to comment on artistic news by various blogs. He has also been commissioned to complete a variety of design projects including illustrations for festivals, branding designs for new products and assisting large organizations in building a smoother user experience for their applications or websites. Teakster has enjoyed the pleasure of collaborating with other artists and feels privelaged to have worked with renowned artists Haji Noor Deen, El Seed, Peter Sanders and Ian Abdullateef Whiteman and a generation of emerging artists.

Zalfian FuziMalaysia

Artistic Director & CEO

Director, actor, teacher, and dramaturge, Zalfian has worked in theatre and the creative industry for the past 15 years, having developed, and directed award-winning productions to public and critical acclaim. His specialisations include content creation, acquisition and distribution. He has also programmed art spaces for the convergence of multiple art forms. Zalfian is the Chief Executive Officer of Theatre Management Associates Sdn. Bhd., established to implement plans in arts infrastructure development, touring and coproduction, and training for arts managers. His company comprises a world-class team of practitioners, arts entrepreneurs, and creative people with vast experience in designing, developing, delivering and operating vibrant arts centres, theatres, galleries and music venues.

AetherRepublic of Bostwana

Spoken Word Artist & Filmmaker

From a very young age, Aether, real name Japhala Gwangwa, has had a fascination for music and creative writing. As time went by, his love for the two arts translated into him teaching himself how to play guitar, drums, rap, freestyle, perform spoken word and produce music on digital audio workstations. In pursuit to further develop his career, he was fortunate enough to secure a scholarship to travel to Malaysia and acquire a degree in Digital Film and Television.

As a performer, Aether is multifaceted. Since 2002, he has played bass for a cover band, rhythm guitarist and lead singer for an alternative rock band that went from playing in clubs and cafes to Woodstock Botswana in the course of one year. He has played drums for a reggae band, honed astonishing freestyle rap skills and released a mix tape that played on local and online radio. Additionally he performed solo on multiple platforms from Botswana to Malaysia.

Boasting a repertoire of thought provoking, true-to-life lyrics inspired by the idea that all things came from love, and that human beings are inherently good. Aether uses his music to bridge the gap between people of different creeds and cultures by identifying the common sparks between them and to remind those who have forgotten about their strength that true change comes from within.

Alia KhanUAE

Founder of Islamic Fashion Design Council

Based in Dubai, UAE, Alia Khan is the Founder/Chairwoman of Islamic Fashion Design Council (IFDC), an organisation established for the development of the Islamic fashion industry. Raised in Canada and USA, Alia worked on her own fashion creations. She was producing fashion shows, events, and media programs that led to setting up her own independent media and marketing company in Los Angeles.

In 2005, Alia was brought onto the organising team for the Arab and World Media Conference in Dubai, which expanded her exposure to the region. She eventually worked in her own businesses before taking a complete break so that she could further her Islamic studies in Jordan. Upon completion of her studies, her philanthropic interest in the development of the underprivileged areas of the Muslim World became a priority. Alia’s charity shares its passion with top educators and expats around the world and together they provide solutions to upgrade the education systems and eradicate malnutrition in the Muslim World.

Alia has come full circle as founder of Islamic Fashion Design Council. She has recognised the deep void in the Islamic fashion industry and set out to fill it. IFDC was created to facilitate the industry’s high potential. Since the inception of IFDC, Alia has had the privilege of working with experts from the MENA region as well as North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, who share the same passion for this industry as well as taking the responsibility of cultivating its deeper meaning.

Asil AttarUAE

CEO of Lead Associates & Founder of EST2014

A dynamic global fashion industry expert with over 20 years of experience in retail, talent management, brand development, business restructure and expansion. A unique combination of creative and business acumen has placed Attar in transformational leadership roles.

A motivational and keynote speaker on leadership, originally from the Middle East, her success has been pronounced in the past ten years due to the work that she has done on behalf of the brands that she has represented in London, Barcelona, New York and Dubai.

As CEO of Lead Associates, a business founded by Attar using her 20 years of industry expertise, she is now focussed on advising businesses on the multi disciplines of the retail sector. Investing creative talent with a vision for changing the retail landscape she is responsible for bringing a host of iconic brands to the region including Abercrombie & Fitch, Arabian business magazine positioned her as one of the top 100 most powerful Arab women in 2012.

Attar is an advocate of CSR and believes that ethical and social responsibility is at the forefront of any business and for a human being to have self-respect and dignity they must endeavor to make a difference to people lives.

The National Visual Arts GalleryMalaysia

The National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) was established in August 1958 under the patronage of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Y.T.M Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. It is one of the most recognized national art museums in South East Asia due to its exhibitions of the best Malaysian contemporary modern art as well as the launching of various international exhibitions.

The NVAG’s permanent building was officially opened on 27 September 2000. The building comprises an area of 13,500m² which combines traditional Malaysian architecture with contemporary influences reflecting the rich and diverse artistic heritage of Malaysia.

Due to its location along the “cultural belt” including the National Theatre and the National Library, the NVAG is close to the city centre and easily accessible by public transport.

GALLERIES

The main gallery (1A), situated on the first floor, is devoted to exhibitions of the gallery’s permanent collection. Additionally located on that floor are the Reka Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The second floor comprises the galleries 2A and 2B as well as 2C which is especially designed and used for children activities offered by the NVAG. Further floor three includes the galleries 3A and 3B.

Public programmes organized by the gallery include film presentations, lectures, workshops and special art related activities for children.

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

As the guardian of Malaysia’s art heritage the NVAG is responsible for the conservation of our Nation’s art. Currently the Gallery is home to more than 4,000 pieces of artwork by many of the country’s most important artists including works of historical value, indigenous art, sculpture, textile art and more. Since the 90’s multimedia and electronic art have been included as well reflecting the rapid artistic development of Malaysia.

Beatriz Martinez GonzalezSpain

Fine Artist

Beatriz was born in Cordoba, Spain, with an early inclination towards the arts and working with materials such as leather in her artistic expression. Her works are a result of an accumulation of various factors and influences, both personal and environmental.

With several years of studies in the arts, Beatrix has developed different ways of working with artistic leather. Her now deceased master, Ramon Garcia, taught her the basic techniques. Beatriz is highly respected in the roots of these techniques, which were born during the Umayyad period; this gives a peculiar and special touch to her work. Currently, she is one of the few people who work with this noble type of material.

Dubai DrumsUAE

Percussion Ensemble

The Dubai based team was founded by Julie-Ann Odell, a drum circle facilitator, who started the group in 2002.  The team has drummed with thousands of people and children at corporates, schools, universities and community events.  They drum in all parts of the Middle East and have now opened Cairo Drums in Egypt.  There’s nothing quite like a community drumming experience to unify people, energize groups and bring everyone together. It’s a dynamic, powerful and unique experience that has been around since the dawn of time — it worked then and it works now!

The great thing is that drumming together transcends all boundaries. It no longer matters who you are, where you come from, or what you do for a living. Everyone communicates through the language of rhythm.  Anyone can take part, everyone becomes equal and it quickly becomes apparent that what you can achieve together is far greater than what you can do alone.  It is an interactive, magical, rhythmical, musical experience that people will remember.  It’s a uniting of the world tribes.

Haleh BananiUSA

TV Host & Psychologist

Haleh Banani has a Master degree in Clinical Psychology from University of Houston. She is a cognitive behavioral therapist who does skype therapy sessions with an international clientele. She has over 15 years experience in diagnosing mental and emotional disorders and administrating programs of treatment.

She was the first female to host a program for Al-Fajr TV called “With Haleh” which combines the principles of psychology and Islam to help people reach their full potential and overcome their challenges. Haleh is an internationally published writer and counselor for the website http://muslimmatters.org. She received her ijaza for the recitation of the Qur’an with tajweed in Egypt from Sheikh Mohammad Hazawi from Al-Azhar University. She was recently given the Icon Award representing America in Malaysia for her contribution.

Hassan MahamdallieUK

Co-Director of Muslim Institute

Hassan Mahamdallie has a background in theatre, journalism and activism. Until last year he was a senior strategist at the national arts funding agency Arts Council in England where he developed the council’s unique approach to art, society, equality and the creative case for diversity. He regularly advises arts organisations on equality issues. He is the author of the political biography of eminent Victorian artist William Morris, Crossing the River of Fire.

Hassan writes and lectures regularly on black and working class history. He edited the collection Defending Multiculturalism: A Guide for the Movement and is the author of British Black Rebels. He is presently researching a forthcoming book on the history of the British Anti Nazi League and Rock Against Racism. Additionally he is a founding member of campaigning organisation Unite Against Fascism.

He is presently a Co-Director of the Muslim Institute, a free-thinking Muslim organisation based in London and is a senior editor on the institute’s new quarterly publication Critical Muslim.

Hassan has an MA in Theatre Studies from the University of Leeds. He worked for many years as an actor. He is also a playwright and director. His latest play The Crows Plucked Your Sinews, a one-woman show based on the life of a Somali nationalist leader and poet Maxamud Cabdille Xassan, premiered at the London Bush Theatre’s 2013 Radar new writing festival.

www.musliminstitute.org

Iona Fournier-TombCanada

Muralist

Originally from Canada, Iona Fournier-Tombs makes colorful geometric paintings that create a sense of harmony, joy and wonder for the world that surrounds us.

She comes from a mosaic background of different cultures and faiths. This is reflected in her approach to art, and her special interest in the cross-pollination between different art forms and cultures.

She also believes that the power of art can heal and transform people in communities, she achieves this through many artistic mediums.

Iona splits her time between working to commission, running workshops, and creating interactive community murals that involve people in the process of painting. She is also working towards an MA at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts where she is studying Islamic arts.

Iona works under the name Nomadic Soul Creations and is currently based in London, UK.

Jerome KuganMalaysia

Singer, Songwriter & Illustrator

Jerome Kugan is a writer, poet, musician and artist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Originally from Kota Kinabalu, Kugan is a 33 year old singer songwriter who first dabbled in music while still a student in Australia in 1996, when he joined a Casio punk band called C.U.N.T. Imploding after four shows, Jerome struck out on his own, first singing acapella songs, then collaborating with electro musicians.

Upon returning to Malaysia, Jerome started writing music more seriously, but it wasn’t until he relocated to Kuala Lumpur in 2000, that he started performing in earnest. Between 2001 and the present time, Jerome a self taught musician has performed in various venues in Kuala Lumpur, featuring his quirky yet accessible brand of music. Performing in both acoustic and electronic (MIDI) formats, Jerome’s music and vocal styling’s have been compared to Bjork, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, and The Notwist, among others. On the same token, he has also been described as “a poor man’s Kylie in shorts.”

Aside from bewildering local audiences with his unconventional performances, Jerome’s instrumental MIDI compositions have been featured in early films by local filmmakers Amir Muhammad and James Lee. He was also a nominee at the 3rd Cameroonian Performing Arts Award ceremony and a recipient of the Most Promising Artist and Best Original Music (Theatre) for the music he composed for the 2005 stage production “Ops Ophelia: A Fashion Opera” directed by Rohaizad Suhaidi.

Julie-Ann OdellUAE

Founder & Managing Director of Dubai Drums

Julie-Ann is a model for living a passionate and inspiring life. She specializes in Team Coaching and Leadership Development programs and is an expert at using rhythm and drumming circles as a tool for team-building and experiential learning. She firmly believes that life is about taking responsibility for what you are creating, reconnecting to your inner core, your humanness and honoring your values. She brings to the corporate arena, all her years of facilitating corporate and community drum circles, her love of music and rhythm, extensive team building events in the UAE and Egypt, and team coaching and leadership programs within the Middle East region. She is the founder of Dubai Drums and Cairo Drums, and co-founder with her son, Tamer, of Jupiter Eclipse Training (JET) and committed to bringing the Human BEING into Business and empowering and transforming teams through experiential learning, coaching, training, leadership and corporate drumming circles and rhythm events. Julie-Ann’s coaching style combines her entrepreneurial and business experience with her intense compassion and powerful wisdom and intuition. She has a strong cross cultural awareness and the ability to interact in a multiplicity of environments and relationships after having spent more than 37 years in the Arab world and being an avid world traveller. Her dream in her lifetime is to see all people addressing themselves as Citizens of Planet Earth.

KilemaRepublic of Madagascar

Malagasy Musician

Kilema is a master of the Marovany, Kabosy and Katsà (native instruments) and carries the magical, rhythmic soul of Madagascar wherever he goes. Born in Toliara (Southern Madagascar), he began playing with local bands and building rustic instruments at the age of 12.

He went “pro” as a vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, performing with the likes of the Justin Vali Trio under the aegis of Peter Gabriel´s Real World label (Main womad festivals between 1993-1997). Kilema formed his own band in 1997 and his first solo album “Ka Malisa” (Iris Music/Harmonia Mundi) was released in 1999, “Lavi-Tany” (Ventilador Music) in 2004 and ”Mena” in March 2008 by Coast to Coast/Snail Records.

He now resides in Encinarejo-Cordoba, Spain and regularly tours with his brother Nesta and Spanish musicians, Manuel Luque and José Salgado, spreading good vibes and love with their infectious and joyful music.

KILEMA´S EXPERIENCES INCLUDE: Main womad stages with the Justin Vali Trio: Australia, New Zealand, Reading, Moers Jazz Festival, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Woodstock 25th Anniversary, Japan and much more.

The sunny island Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, nurtures amazing music!

Melisa Le RueUAE

Singer & Songwriter

Melisa Le Rue is a British- Filipino songstress with an eclectic, refreshing and raw sound. Culturally inspired by her multi national family, she fuses everything from  jazz, world, folk, indie, pop, electronica and soul, to create uplifting music with a global appeal.

This London born, West Midlands raised, Dubai based singer- songwriter, launched her debut EP in New York at the legendary Joe’s Pub through Micheck Entertainment, in July 2014. Her first debut single on the EP ‘Unite’ features Grammy award winning group The Soweto Gospel Choir and was recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Performing both as a solo artist, and with acts such as Yarah Bravo and the Latin Dub Sound System, Le Rue’s impressive list of appearances and performances include FOX TV, Formula 1 Grand Prix, TimeOut Nightlife Awards, Lovebox (UK), Notting Hill Arts Club (UK), Waterford festival (Ireland), Glastonbury festival (UK) and Joe’s Pub New York. Le Rue has also been featured in publications such as Timeout Dubai, Emirates Woman, Infusion magazine and What’s On.

In addition to music Melisa Le Rue, an LSE Sociology graduate, is a passionate advocate for positive change, particularly in the areas of; non violence, conservation, green energy, holistic health, race, gender, and education.

Mohammed Langston HuesUSA

Photographer & Enterpreneur

Internationally renowned photographer, Langston Hues, hails from Detroit, Michigan U.S.A. He attributes his foray into photography emanating from an admiration of the work of successful expat photographers whom he had followed enthusiastically in the years prior to his professional pursuit.

In his debut publishing venture, Modest Street Fashion, Hues has photographed an excess of 400 style conscious candidates across the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East, encompassing over 20 countries and 35 cities, to create the first niche book of its kind to enter the Western market of Muslim community diasporas, though representing a global collection of fashion styles.

A photographer, artist and entrepreneur, Hues delights in redefining the creative parameters that surround him. His signature zeal to embark on new frontiers indicates a passion for life and pursuits for achieving excellence, with every endeavour he embraces.

Peter GouldAustralia

Co-Founder & Designer of Peter & Ruh

Internationally renowned graphic designer Peter Gould comes from Australia. His work is inspired by cities in the Muslim World such as Fes, Damascus, Istanbul and Mecca. This has resulted in a remarkable visual fusion of classical Islamic design elements with his signature vibrant, fresh graphic styles.

He has since enjoyed considerable commercial success internationally, with the BBC recently describing him as “the ‘go-to’ designer for many leading Islamic companies. He is among those young urban global Muslims leading the emergence of a new Muslim cool.”

Peter’s innovative, award-winning creative work is highly sought after and has reached many audiences through graphic design projects, art exhibitions, branding workshops and publications. He has also launched his own clothing label, children’s book & mobile apps, home decor and was selected as a Google Glass programme pioneer explorer. He has worked with many high profile clients such as Sami Yusuf, governments in Australia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Nations.

Peter SandersUK

Photographer

Peter Sanders is an international award winning photographer who began his career in the 1960s as one of London’s leading photographers of rock musicians; photographing Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who and many more.

In 1971, Peter travelled on a spiritual quest to India, afterwards to Morocco, then to the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah. From his ongoing travels, he has built up a huge photographic archive of over a quarter of a million photographs of the Islamic World, its people, architecture and cultures. His work is shown internationally in exhibitions, presentations and books. Recently, Peter created the ‘art of seeing’ photographic workshops to encourage young people into the creative arts.

His empathy with both spiritual masters and ordinary people has opened many doors and allowed him to photograph many of whom have never been photographed before.

Peter continues to travel worldwide on a number of commissions for a variety of international clients.

Rabia Z.UAE

Fashion Designer

A Business Graduate from the USA, Rabia studied fashion at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) New York and Esmod. She was living in the US, during the tragic 9/11 events, Rabia, the young Emirati-Afghan fashion designer, took up wearing the Hijab. It was only then she realised the challenges faced by moderate Muslima’s trying to dress conservatively. The hands-on experience stirred deep insights, leading to a unique design ideology.

Rabia Z. was born – a brand that deemed ‘modesty is always in style’. Designed to create style solutions for women who want to be modest yet modern, Rabia benchmarked the concept of ‘conservative chic’, becoming the first designer and fashion brand in the world that produce prêt-a-couture ranges catering to the needs of a niche market and the first to showcase this on international catwalks.

She has been hailed a pioneer in modern modest fashion by international media including BBC and CNN. Frequently covered by prestigious international media and publications, she is respected as a voice for the modern Arab woman and regularly speaks at global conferences, events and seminars like the World Islamic Economic Forum, Athena Leadership forum and TEDx, amongst other renowned podiums; she continues to inspire women as she carries on her trajectory to empower young Muslimas globally through her balance between trends and traditions.

Ruh Al-AlamUK

Co-Founder & Designer of Peter & Ruh

Ruh Al-Alam is a British designer that graduated from the prestigious Central St. Martins College of Art and is an established and published designer and artist. He founded his own creative studio in London as well as a host of other entrepreneurial start-ups in the creative and fashion industries. He also spends considerable time in non-profit social awareness work.

Having traveled and lived in the Middle East extensively, he settled in Egypt and trained in traditional Arabic calligraphy for several years. He is now sought after for his specialism in Arabic/Islamic, calligraphic, typographic design and branding by many different agencies. He focuses on overall brand development, creative direction and digital experiences (UI/UX).

He is also a practicing artist, lecturer, mentor and consultant and has exhibited both in the UK and abroad, most recently in the UAE at the invite of the Ruler of Sharjah. He founded ‘Visual Dhikr’, an art project that has its own clothing line, home decor and art prints. His work can also be found featured in several mainstream design publications and books. Amongst the many clients he has worked for, include the BBC, Channel 4, National Portrait Gallery, Wieden+Kennedy, British Foreign Office and Sony BMG.

Saif AldamenJordan

Founder & Choreographer

Born in Jordan, Saif grew up in Malaysia and in 2004 he started dancing as a b-boy and House Dancer. He has performed and choreographed shows for many international artists in worldwide venues including Usher, 2010, Flo-rida, 2009, 2010, 2011, Neyo, 2010, EMA Hewitt, 2012, Black Eyed Peas (2009), Colby O’donis, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, Akon (2010), Sean Kingstone, 2010, Mizznina, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and Pharell Williams, 2009.

He has travelled the world judging competitions and teaching hip-hop and House in Malaysia, Jordan, Korea, Yemen, Singapore, India, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain and Russia.

He is one of the founders of House and Hip-hop Dance in Malaysia, Yemen and Jordan.
In 2012, Saif moved back home to the Middle East and worked with several Arabic singers choreographing, dancing, and opening for artists like Wael Kafouri, Mohammed Ramadan, and Maya Diab.

The most recent addition to his dance style is Salsa. He is the first to introduce the creative mix of “Salsa House “ to the region. Saif lives in between Malaysia, Qatar and UAE where he runs workshops and teaching Hip-hop, House, Salsa And Salsa house.

Saif is currently running a dancing company that organises workshops and classes for all styles of dance for the best names in Dubai.

He’s been invited to perform and teach at festivals around the region such as Lebanon salsa mafia festival, 2013, Lebanon dance festival, 2013, Bahrain salsa festival, 2013, Berlin salsa festival, 2013 and Dubai dance festival, 2013.

Sumayyah Al SuwaidiUAE

Digital Artist

Sumayyah Al Suwaidi is an artist whose passion drives her to manipulating seemingly normal and boring photographs into masterpieces of emotions and sensuality. A giant in a small body, Sumayyah moves the skies, stretches the oceans and elevates humans to the clouds, and in it all brings out beauty in whatever painting she decides to bring to life. She is the first female digital artist from the UAE. Her first series of paintings were in 2001 inspired by the late sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Exhibited her paintings across the UAE, and internationally in Germany, USA, Paris, UK, China, Morocco and Kuwait. Her curating career begun when she curated her own solo in 2007 and as a curator she felt the need to bring art closer to the community by holding annual exhibitions that will bring the artists and the community together which also had her as a judge and a panelist in numerous national exhibitions and art competitions.

Sumayyah is not a typical artist/curator she is also a boutique owner and a fashion designer. She established her store Grafika in 2004 and in 2009 turned it into one of Abu Dhabi’s celebrated independent boutiques. Throughout the years she felt the urge of creating her own line that she eventually did in 2011.

Tasneem ChopraAustralia

Writer & Cross-Cultural Consultant

Tasneem Chopra is a Cross-cultural Consultant and activist, She applies her background in public relations, activism and international development to a wide range of arts and social justice initiatives.

As well as running acclaimed workshops on identity politics, Tasneem recently curated the Victorian content of the Immigration Museum’s acclaimed Faith Fashion Fusion exhibition. This event showcased a celebration of Australian Muslim women’s style and identity. While in May 2013, she was selected to deliver a TEDx Melbourne talk, Don’t Believe the Hype, And Exceed It: The War Against Stereotypes.

This year Tasneem has presented at the Creativity and Spiritual Path (CSP) Conference in Sydney, and the AIDS 2014 International Conference in Melbourne. She is chairperson to both the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights and the board of Lentil as Anything, an innovative non-profit community restaurant enterprise.

She was awarded woman of the Year at the 2013 Australian Muslim Achievement awards, Tasneem’s previous accolades includes being named in The Age Magazine’s Top 100 influential Movers and Shakers of 2008 in Melbourne. The Australian Magazine also hailed her as one of the country’s 100 Emerging Leaders in 2009.

A sought after columnist, Tasneem’s latest contribution is in the recently published anthology Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim Australia. Following this launch she was recently invited to speak on various panels at the internationally acclaimed Byron Bay Writer’s Festival in Queensland.

Youssra El HawaryEgypt

Singer & Accordionist

Youssra El Hawary is an Egyptian accordionist, composer, songwriter and singer. She started learning piano at age 8 and then played the accordion in 2010. In early 2012, She started her musical career uploading four songs of her own to her sound cloud profile, then she started performing with her accordion alone and her first Live Performance was in Cairo, March 2012.

In a very short time, she became one of the strong outspoken female voices in Egypt, receiving a lot of attention from both online and offline media. Her songs tell stories and somewhat mock Egyptians socially and politically.

Her first music video El Soor “The Wall” was a biting political commentary about the situation in Egypt, has one the first place in the Fair Play global competition for music videos against corruption.

Later on, she founded the band and they worked together on the arrangement of her songs and developed the music, since then they have been playing concerts and performing in festivals locally in Egypt as well as abroad.

Monem SalamPakistan

President and Executive Director of Saturna Sdn. Bhd

Monem Salam is the President and Executive Director of Saturna Sdn. Bhd., Saturna Capital’s wholly-owned Malaysian subsidiary, and a Director at Saturna Capital.  He received his degrees from the University of Texas: BA (Austin) and MBA (Dallas).

He worked as the Chief Investment Officer for ITG & Associates (Dallas) until 1999; then as a representative with Morgan Stanley (suburban Dallas) until joining Saturna Capital in June 2003.  He served as the Director of Islamic investing and Deputy Portfolio Manager to the Amana Mutual Funds Trust until moving to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 to oversee Saturna Sdn. Bhd.

Monem is Adjunct Professor at IE Business School and speaks at Islamic finance/investment conferences worldwide and he is co-author of A Muslim’s Guide to Investing and Personal Finance. Monem has authored chapters on Islamic Investing in both Contemporary Islamic Financeand Islamic Capital Marketsand he contributes articles to leading Islamic financial magazines. As a mark of recognition of his achievements in Islamic economy, Monem was ranked among 500 of the Islamic world’s most prominent and influential leaders by ISLAMICA 500 in 2015.

ABDELKADER SAADOUNAlgeria

Oud player

ABDELKADER SAADOUN comes from Khemis Miliana (Algeria), a few miles away from Wahran, the birth place of RAI. He started to play RAI music in his home country, accompanied by accordion, guitar, drum kit, bass and percussion. An accomplished singer and musician, he led a band, which performed at many venues and festivals. Now he is based in Greenwich (South East London).

RAI originates from traditional Algerian music (Chaabi, Kabil, and Chawi) and also encompasses Pop, Jazz, Flamenco, Funk, Rock, Reggae, Fusion, and Blues.  Based on strong rhythms, it is a very dynamic and danceable music.  It has become the most popular music in North Africa and the Arab world; the music of today¹s generation. Its popularity has quickly spread to neighbouring countries: Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt and is actually very popular in the Gulf States. Since France has a large Magrebian population, RAI music is now part of the French culture.

In 1988 SAADOUN moved to the UK, and in 1994 he formed a second Rai band in London. SAADOUN’s current outfit is made up of nine musicians from different background using traditional instruments such as Mandole, Zourna, Hadjoudj & North African percussion combined with European instruments including Brass, Keyboard, Piano, Bass guitar, Viola,  Banjo, Cello, Drums and Electric Guitars. He is a charismatic performer, able to enliven any audience with his infectious rhythms and dynamic stage personality.

Abid HussainUK

Relationship Manager, Diversity in Arts Practice

Abid is a Relationship Manager specialising in Diversity working at Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts. Abid leads on the delivery of the Creative Case for Diversity agenda working across the performing and visual arts and within an arts development capacity.

He jointly led on the development of the internationally acclaimed Arts and Islam programme a creative platform exploring the relationship between arts practice, policy and polemic delivering seminars, workshops, critical debates and artistic interventions across the UK, USA, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and most recently South Africa as part of the National Arts Festival.

Abid recently spent six months working at Birmingham based Soul City Arts in a strategic development capacity as well as undertaking an extensive piece of research exploring South Asian philanthropic giving to the arts and creative sector.

A marketing graduate with a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma in Arts Marketing, Abid has served as the chair of the Arts Council’s Black Workers Group and in an advisory role for both the British Council and the Institute for Community Cohesion. He currently serves on the leadership group for the Mosaic Network an initiative set up by HRH the Prince of Wales to empower young people in disadvantaged communities through mentoring and the steering group for the Wisdom Project at Eton College in Windsor. Abid is the vice-chair of the governing body at Anderton Park School in Birmingham, one of the city’s largest and most diverse primary schools.

Ahmed KrausenDenmark

Photographer

Despite completing of the education as a mechanical technician in 1989 and an ensuing career in mechanical engineering, Ahmed Krausen felt challenged and inspired to learn and pursue the art of photography. His artistic angle has been inspired by the position as a European Muslim convert. Therefore, starting in 1997, Ahmed began his photographic project “Islam in Europe”. The aim of Ahmed´s work is to show the diversity of Islamic expressions and how Islam is interpreted in the physical space by European Muslims. This includes not only mosque architecture, but also Muslim graveyards, Muslim rap, graffiti, poetry, calligraphy and more. Another important aspect for of Ahmed´s work is highlighting Islam’s relationship to the environment with an emphasis on “green” mosques. In addition, the work also highlights the relationship between European and Islamic literature.

The purpose of the project is to portray the multifaceted, open and peaceful manifestation of Islam inEurope.

Ahmed Krausen´s work was successfully displayed in Denmark, Germany, at El.Sawy Culture Wheel,Cairo, Egypt (2008) and at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization United Arab Emirates with the title “Dunya – Glimpses of Muslim Life in Europe”

The project is also official affiliate to “the Pluralism Project” at the Harvard University. Ahmed Krausen is associate partner of the exhibition project “Islam it’s Also Our History” – Fourteen centuries of interaction between Europe and the Muslim World in Brussels.

Fatimah ChikMalaysia

Visual Artist

In an impressive artistic career spanning over a quarter of a century, Fatimah Chik has earned a reputation as one of Malaysia’s more significant middle-generation artists. Trained initially as a textile designer at the Mara School of Art and Design in Kuala Lumpur, during the late 1960s, she began her initial batik experiments during the mid-1970s. Discovering the rich, symbolic textile traditions of the Southeast Asian region, she attempted to transplant the traditional craft-oriented influences onto new art forms, more suited to the contemporary fine art contexts. By combining the techniques and aesthetic principles of painting and craft, forging an entirely new relationship between the two, she has truly put her stamp on Malaysian art.

Her abstract art works are richly textured, ornate and decorative. They reveal structured, compositional formats derived from the Southeast Asian region’s ancient triangular gunungan motif and also the symbolic mandala configuration. Employing the traditional printing blocks used in the age-old batik printing technique, complex waxing and denying processes, as well as meticulous hand-colored finishing, she has developed a unique style of abstract painting that is clearly recognizable today as being all her own.

Jamal RaslanMalaysia

Poet

A trilingual Malaysian who can’t seem to make up his mind between Bahasa Melayu & English as his main language, Jamal Raslan is a poet who is a great example of the conundrum that is the current Malaysian youth – modern, exposed, open but yet struggling to find a sense of belonging in the identity crisis that rocks every English-speaking Malay Muslim. Equally at home conversing & thinking in Bahasa Melayu & English, he used to write poetry exclusively in Bahasa Melayu as he didn’t think he has an English writing “voice”, until Youtube introduced him to spoken word.

Heavily inspired by spoken word poets around the world, from slam poets to Def Poetry to the articulate & emotive African poets at Poet’s Passport in Cyberjaya, he writes about the the challenges that the country & its people face in its pursuit for progress & Wawasan 2020 in a way that he hopes will one day help form a unique “voice” that is Malaysian spoken word.

He is currently a longtime crew member and resident emcee for the Poet’s Passport & if he’s not busy helping them organize their monthly gigs, he is active in the local poetry scene, competing in slams, attending literary events around KL, even hosting and helping organize poetry gigs. He won the first ever slam he participated back in May 2010 and has never looked back since.

Aside from his artistic and literary involvements, Jamal has performed at wide ranging events such as launchings, social enterprise events & even media agency forums. He has spoken in TEDxKL in 2011 to a standing ovation and returned as a surprise speaker in TEDxKL 2012, the only repeat speaker in TEDxKL’s recent history. He’s also performed at the Creativity & The Spiritual Path 2012 in KL, and has performed in Singapore for the Impact Forum, an annual social enterprise forum organized by Shujog.

He released his first EP ‘the Word.’ at the 2012 Georgetown Literary Festival last November.

After impressing WIEF with his performance and interpretation of Rumi in their ‘Translations’ event in the recently concluded Cooler Lumpur Festival in KL, he will be making his first appearance on European soil at WIEF’s MOCAfest, bringing what he hopes to be an early voice of Malaysian spoken word to the world.

Bismillah.

Native SunUK/Mozambique

Afro/Hip Hop

Native Sun is a London based duo consisting of bilingual rapper Mohammed Yahya, born in Mozambique, South East Africa and singer-song writer Sarina Leah born in London with Caribbean roots.

Joining forces in 2010 Native Sun was born fusing Hip Hop and African rhythms with the aim of promoting a positive message of Universal Peace, Equality, Social Justice and Environmental Change.

Both artists over the years have received a great deal of publicity through collaborations on a variety of compilation CDs, Albums, International Tours across Europe, Africa and U.S, features of on a wide range of publications  as well as TV appearances from UK based TV Channels such as BBC and ITV to Channels across Europe.

Now together, Native Sun’s sweet melodies fuse addictive head bouncing Hip Hop undertones, conscious bilingual lyrics and catchy hooks perfect for a climate in need of an uplifting message.

Rakae JamilPakistan

Musician (Sitar)

Rakae Jamil  has been involved in music since the age of 12 when he started learning the sitar. He completed his undergraduate studies in Musicology from the National College of the Arts and is both a sitarist and vocalist.

He composed music for a compilation of Allama Iqbal’s poetry, and has performed in Coke Studio season 2 with Noori, for which he is the band’s session sitarist and keyboard player, and has performed live with Noori throughout Pakistan and also traveled with them on a tour of the US titled “Center Stage”.

He was also a part of the music ensemble for a theater troupe that performed at the Shakespeare’s Globe Festival in London in 2012. He has given live solo performances and workshops at University of Chicago, and participated in the Jungle Book Days initiative by performing at the Budlong Woods Public Library in Chicago. He is now currently a lecturer at the Musicology department, University of Punjab in Lahore.

Saba BarnardUSA

Visual Artist

As a first generation American, I was quickly confronted by my layered identity as a woman, a Pakistani, a Muslim, an American, and an Artist within a global culture that stresses conformity within narrowly defined spheres of identity.  I spent years trying and failing to find myself within these little boxes.  It was an impossible task, because our identities operate on a spectrum, with blurred and permeable boundaries that speak not to a divided and separate experience, but to a common humanity.

When I paint, I take ideas, symbols, and individuals who are subject to reductive categorizations and create images that are instead expansive, positive, and promote connection.  I often work with polarities – the beautiful and the absurd, the ancient and the modern, the spiritual and the superficial – in my attempts to create iconic and accessible imagery.

Much of my work has focused on American Muslim women.  Modern treatment of Muslim subject matter in media, culture, and politics often perpetuates the perception of Muslims as an entirely homogenous, villainous “other,” with the women as a voiceless, powerless, oppressed group at the bottom tier of society.

My portraits paint a different, far more colorful, image of Muslim women.  My subjects are all American, and embody their blended cultures, their unique heritage, and their singularity.

The portraits are images of American Muslim women that are not defined or confined by a xenophobic and misogynistic narrative – they are beautiful, funny, powerful, and human.

Zeshan BagewadiUSA / India

Vocalist

A Chicago native, Zeshan Bagewadi received his Master’s Degree in Voice and Literature from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music in 2011. A critically acclaimed Opera Singer, Zeshan made his lead role debut immediately upon completion of his studies in a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in New York City. This led to a residency with Chicago Opera Theater in which he was tapped to understudy the lead role of Prince Tamino in a production of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in September of 2012. In December of the same year, Zeshan made his musical theater debut as Lord Shiva in “Sita Ram”, a musical based on the Ramayana and co-produced by Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Chicago Children’s Choir. He has since been the lead singer of Zamin, an indie-rock band based in Chicago that released their self-entitled album “Zamin” (www.zaminband.com) and continues to be heard live across the United States.
Zeshan has performed extensively throughout the United States, Italy and India. He has sung in 11 different languages and is trilingual. Most recently, he performed at the 2013 Jaipur Literature Festival.

Mark GonzalesUSA

Poet / Spoken Word

Mark Gonzales is a social entrepreneur and impact speaker who specialises in social wellness. Drawing from years of global research in human development and idea design, he creates innovative solutions that cultivate the future of healing.

His clientele spans fourteen countries & includes Stanford University, TED(x), the United Nations, and the Qatar Foundation. Virtual introductions to his work are best found via twitter: @WageBeauty.

Mohammed AliUnited Kingdom

Graffiti Artist

Mohammed Ali has been creating vast street-art murals, installations and arts experiences around the world for over a decade. A winner of the prestigious ITV South Bank Award in 2009, Mohammed actively challenges the oft-heard term ‘clash of civilizations’, with his fusion of street-art and Islamic script, along with conscious messages that speak to people of different faith traditions.
Whilst being a graffiti-artist since the late 80’s, his art has now focused on the message as opposed to expressing the identity of the artist, as can be seen with much of graffiti-art today.

He describes his work as, ‘taking the best of both worlds’, inspired by the graffiti art of the 80’s while drawing on the inspiration of his faith as a Muslim, and bringing back to the forefront principles that are fading away from our modern societies. This led to him speaking at the first TEDx event to take place at the Vatican in Rome, the first of its kind dealing in religious freedoms in the 21st century.

Whilst painting murals across the world in cities, including Dubai, Melbourne, Muscat and New York, Mohammed is the founder and artistic director of Soul City Arts, a cutting edge organization which brings together artists across various spectrums, exploring themes of spirituality and the urban space.
His mulch-disciplinary practice of video, sounds, and animation that he explored whilst working in the video-games industry, he draws upon to engage the viewer into the art and more recently has delivered rich immersive experiences of live painting, digital projections and atmospheric vocals and poetry in theatres and public spaces. He has brought together artists from around the world to create art that connects with the soul.

Saif AdamUK

Singer

Born in Essex on the 5th of December, Saif was brought up in a traditional Muslim family where teaching was the main profession. Originally hailing from Iraq, they were keen to instill spiritual and Islamic values.

Throughout his childhood, Saif demonstrated a keen interest in music and performance. He taught himself to play the guitar and cajon drums.

“Upon receiving a guitar as a gift as a child, I just knew music was the way to go. I realised I could now express myself and my inner thoughts.”

His years at college and university gave him the impetus and drive to perfect his musical skills. It was during this time he combined performance, composition and his love for the spiritual. He progressed to write his own lyrics resulting in fully crafted tracks.

After graduation, Saif pursued a career in the music industry. This resulted in a series of collaborations with mainstream artists including Ed Sheeran, N-Dubz and X-Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos. This fruitful period gave Saif a valuable opportunity to perfect his vocal abilities and song writing skills.

But it was during a life changing trip to Makkah when he realised he could combine his musical talent with his faith. His music could become a new and exciting way in which to connect with his Muslim brothers and sisters.

Upon his return, Saif began to deeply absorb the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and it was at this point that his life changed forever.

“Saif’s heartfelt aim is to engage the Muslim community both young and old and spread the message of peace, respect and unity.”

He felt empowered and decided that he would try and share these positive messages with the community through the medium of music. Saif now writes and performs songs that have been written with the strength of Islam at the forefront of the message.

Saif has spent a great deal of time in the studio working on his debut album. ‘Heart’ is set to be released during 2013 and is a heartfelt ode to Islam. He has poured his heart and soul into this work and that raw emotion really comes through.

The debut single ‘Believe’ will definitely strike a chord in all of us. The album is both uplifting and heartrending. He sings about how the ummah have strayed from the word of Islam, yet if we believe and have faith, then Allah will guide us all through the gates of Heaven.

Saif Adam is managed and signed to The Light Records.

KilemaRepublic of Madagascar

Malagasy Musician

Kilema is a master of the Marovany, Kabosy and Katsà (native instruments) and carries the magical, rhythmic soul of Madagascar wherever he goes. Born in Toliara (Southern Madagascar), he began playing with local bands and building rustic instruments at the age of 12.

He went “pro” as a vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, performing with the likes of the Justin Vali Trio under the aegis of Peter Gabriel´s Real World label (Main womad festivals between 1993-1997). Kilema formed his own band in 1997 and his first solo album “Ka Malisa” (Iris Music/Harmonia Mundi) was released in 1999, “Lavi-Tany” (Ventilador Music) in 2004 and ”Mena” in March 2008 by Coast to Coast/Snail Records.

He now resides in Encinarejo-Cordoba, Spain and regularly tours with his brother Nesta and Spanish musicians, Manuel Luque and José Salgado, spreading good vibes and love with their infectious and joyful music.

KILEMA´S EXPERIENCES INCLUDE: Main womad stages with the Justin Vali Trio: Australia, New Zealand, Reading, Moers Jazz Festival, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Woodstock 25th Anniversary, Japan and much more.

The sunny island Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, nurtures amazing music!

Aida BegicBosnia & Herzegovina

Filmmaker

Aida Begić was born in Sarajevo in 1976. She graduated directing at Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts. Her graduation film First Death Experience was presented at The Cinefondation Official Selection of 2001 Cannes Film Festival and won numerous awards at festivals worldwide. In 2003 she wrote and directed her second short film North Went Mad. Her debut feature film Snow was part of L’Atelier of Cannes Film Festival 2005 and had premiere at Cannes 2008 – Semaine de la critique where the film won the Grand Prix and after that more then 20 festival awards all around the world. Snow was nominated for European Academy Award – Discovery Section.

Aida Begić is teaching directing at The Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo and has directed numerous documentaries, commercials, videos and promotional films.

In 2009 she founded an independent production company FILM HOUSE. In 2010 she wrote and directed short fiction Otel(o) as part of omnibus Unutma Beni Istanbul.

She is included in Phaidon’s ‘Take 100: The Future of Film: 100 New Directors’ book 2010, and she is member of SACD, France.

Her second feature film DJECA (Children of Sarajevo) premiered in Un Certain Regard – Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2012 where it won Special Distinction of the Jury after which film continued to win awards at festivals around the world.

Andres GarciaSpain

Musician / Guitarist

Andres Garcia was born in 1976, in Granada (Spain), where he studied Guitar at the “Conservatorio Superior de Musica Victoria Eugenia”, and Music Education at the “Facultad de Ciencias de la Educacion” (University of Granada). After he finished his studies, he worked in Spain as a music producer and arranger.

In 2001 he moved to London with the purpose of enriching his musical experiences and to focus on his guitar based music.

Andres now is playing flamenco and electric guitar with Abdelkader Saadoun band.

Joel CerdorAustralia

Star / Musician

AGUNG GUNAWANIndonesia

javanese dancer

ALUNA THAVONSOUKLaos

singer/songwriter

AMIR JAHARIMalaysia

singer/songwriter

APARNA PANSHIKARIndia

singer/musician

ASWARAMalaysia

dance company

AZIZ HARUNBrunei

singer/songwriter

CHETAN RAGHURAMIndia

filmmaker

CHUMVAN SODHACHIVY (BELLE)Cambodia

contemporary dancer

CRAIG ROSENTHALAustralia

filmmaker

GARY YONG

filmmaker

GHAZI ALQUDCYSingapore

filmmaker

KAGEThailand

contemporary dancer

MIKHAIL REDPhilippines

filmmaker

NADIAH HAMZAHMalaysia

filmmaker

NISA ADDINAMalaysia

Violinist

NITHI JUNTHANUThailand

traditional musician

PHANXINEVietnam

filmmaker

SHINJI MORIWAKIJapan

poet & musician

SUHAILI MICHELINEMalaysia

contemporary dancer

SYAHRUL FITHRI MUSAMalaysia

filmmaker

WED LODRIGAPhilippines

musician

WYNE CHIT CHIT AUNGMyanmar

traditional dancer

Abdul Kinyenya Muyingo “Abdanger”Uganda

Dancer

Abdul began dancing at the age of 12 with Ugandan traditional dance in schools and communities around Kampala. Fourteen years later, he is the Artistic Director of Tabu Flo Dance Company, crowned as Uganda’s best in 2011. Abdul is also the Dance Fusion tutor at Ambrosoli International School in Kampala.  He is a founding member and teacher at the Breakdance Project Uganda, an NGO that uses breakdance to catalyze positive social change among youth throughout Uganda.

Through this organization, he carries experiences in teaching all age groups from a diversity of backgrounds, and has led several dance workshops in prisons, ghettos, schools, organizations and war-affected areas of northern Uganda since 2006. Beginning in 2007, with a visit to Denmark for the Global Democracy Day, he has toured Europe, Africa and the U.S. as a performing artist, choreographer and dance teacher of Afro hip-hop and breakdance.

Abdul holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, and since 2004, alongside dance, has been pursuing photography and acting as an art and career path. He continues to share his skills professionally and contributes to the development of the arts as therapy.

AlsarahSudan

Singer, songwriter and ethnomusicologist

Alsarah, is a Sudanese born singer, songwriter and ethnomusicologist. Born in the capital city of Khartoum, where she spent the first 8 years of her life, she relocated to Taez, Yemen with her family to escape the ever stifling regime in her native country. She abruptly moved to the US in 1994, when a brief civil war broke out in Yemen. Alsarah started her musical training at the age of 12. After attending The Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School, in Hadley, MA, she spent 4 years at Wesleyan University studying Music with a concentration in Ethnomusicology. Residing in Brooklyn, NY, she performs music from different parts of the Middle East, and East Africa. Most recently, she has formed the group, AlSarah & the Nubatones. The group came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s-today with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through diaspora and migration from an urban lens. To hear more about Alsarah including some of her music, please visit: www.alsarah.com.

Alia Gabres

Alia Gabres is the Co-director of ‘The Centre for Poetics and Justice’  – a not-for-profit organisation focused on using poetry as a form of literary education, self expression and social engagement for marginalised peoples. She was recently part of the Global Poetics Tour 2011 where she performed alongside international wordsmiths including Shane Koyzcan and Mahogany Brown. She concluded a whirlwind year by sharing the stage with acclaimed Def Jam poet Amir Sulaiman.

2012 saw her embarking on the five-state Australian ‘Please Resist Me’ tour with current National Slam Champion Luka Lesson and acclaimed Poet Joel Mckerrow.

Alia also curated a Spoken Word explorations series ‘Tell it Like it is’ at the Footscray Arts Centre throughout 2011. The following year she was selected as the City libraries 2012 poet in residence.

She is currently working on a children’s book manuscript, compiling a chapbook collection of poetry and recording a Spoken Word album.

Both her chapbook ‘Broken Openings: poetry and other residues of light’ and her album are due for realise in late November 2012.

Ahmad bi Abdul Rahman (Altimet)Malaysia

Rapper, Songwriter and Producer

Altimet is an award winning rapper, live entertainer, songwriter, producer, arranger, television and live events host.  Ahmad bi Abdul Rahman (born 27 November 1978), better known as Altimet, is recognized as an industry mover and among the “individuals who are shaping Malaysia” (August Man magazine 2010 issue).

Making the decision to pursue a solo career, Altimet was immediately offered a record and talent management deal by Kartel Records.  Altimet’s experience as a professional live entertainer is second to none with over a decade’s worth of quality performances from the smallest of gigs to prestigious concerts and award shows.  He notched an impressive six nominations for various categories at the Anugerah Industri Musik 17, was nominated for a Shout! Award and won a Voize Independent Music Award.

In 2010, Altimet had incredible chart presence on two of Malaysia’s biggest radio stations Era FM and Hot FM with the single ‘Kalau Berpacaran’.  His songs ‘Maafkan Kami’ and ‘Kotarayaku’ also received heavy rotation.

In 2011, Altimet expanded his repertoire in an impressive way. He co-wrote the song “Malaysian Boy”, commissioned by Astro, which became an instant hit, garnering over a million Youtube views. Altimet was involved in the song “Selamanya” specially done for the Malaysian national football team. Altimet also toured the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan.

2012 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for Altimet as he settles into his new role as Executive Director of Kartel Records as well as releasing more new music, video content and a planned TV appearance alongside the Hero Malaya collective.

Amir Sulaiman

Poet, Activist and Recording Artist

Amir Sulaiman is an accomplished poet, activist, recording artist and a two time HBO Def Poet. As host and performer on the national Breed Love Odyssey Tour with Mos Def and Talib Kweli and special guest on KRS-ONE’S Hip Hop Lives Tour; Amir has been endorsed by some of Hip Hop’s elites. The steady and ever increasing buzz building around Amir is quickly gaining the attention of everyone from Kanye West to Dave Chapelle. Russell Simmons, who referred to Amir as “blessed”, and Abi Odun of The Last Poets, who calls Amir “the voice of this generation”, recognize this rare talent. In addition, organizations such as the ACLU, Amnesty International and Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition have used Amir’s poetry and voice to bring life to multiple campaigns dealing with social justice and art.

His growing popularity garnered him a record deal with UPRISING Records, the label that delivered the hugely successful multi-platinum band, Fall Out Boy. His national debut album, “Like a Thief in the Night”, was released nation wide to critical acclaim.  Amir’s latest project is “Meccan Openings” and was released in late 2011.

Amir performs at countless colleges, universities, high schools and community centers. As a member of Youth Speaks in the Bay Area California, Amir worked regularly teaching children by way of spoken word and focusing on the union of art and education. Consistently working across the USA and Canada, Amir has shared the stage with artists such as Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Common, Mos Def, Stevie Wonder, The Last Poets and more.

Azren AzimuddinMalaysia

guitarist

Azren Azimuddin is a contemporary acoustic guitarist specializing in tapping and percussive techniques. He can make a single acoustic guitar sound like a full band playing all at once, and he sometimes plays the guitar on his lap. His unique “elbow style” playing has been covered by the media in newspapers, on the radio and even on television. 
His very eclectic music covers a range of genres from traditional world music to a tinge of jazz, bluegrass and even electronic music. He has been performing in the United Kingdom for the last 10 years and is currently back in his home country of Malaysia. He has also had experience teaching music to both kids and adults. He’s also capable of various other instruments including ukulele, bass, drums, piano and, vocals. Furthermore, he has knowledge of music software and technologies due to his training in interactive media and digital visual arts.  
He has played a variety of gig settings, from the corporate functions, bars, festivals and has gone as far as performing on the streets of England and various other places.

He performs solo as a “one man band” but also has collaborated with other musicians including as a duo setup e.g with a vocalist or instrumentalist. He also has collaborated with artists from other disciplines including poetry and dance.

Brahim Fribgane

multi-instrumentalist and percussionist

Currently based in New York City, Moroccan musician Brahim Fribgane has shared the diverse music of his homeland with audiences all over the world. His style is a tapestry woven from North African Gnawa, Berber, Arab, and Andalusian music traditions. A multi-instrumentalist and percussionist, Fribgane is best known for fusing Moroccan folk songs and traditional Arab melodies with contemporary jazz, samba, reggae, and blues techniques. He has performed in major festivals and concerts across the globe with a diverse roster of artists including Hassan Hakmoun, Will Calhoun, Adam Rudlolph, Qawal Najumuddin Saifuddin & Brothers, Zakir Hussain, Pete Seger, and Medeski Martin & Wood.

Datuk LatMalaysia

Cartoonist

To the young Malaysians of today cartoonist Lat (Dato’ Mohd Nor bin Khalid) is probably known mainly as the creator of the animated TV series ‘Kampung Boy’. The 26 episode series, based originally on the cartoon storybook ‘Kampung Boy’, which is about childhood in a Malaysian village, first published in 1979, received great response from TV audiences since it started in 1998.

The series has also run on Canadian, German and Asian television.  One of the episodes, ‘Oh! Tok’, won a Best Animation Award at the Annecy Animation Festival, France, 1999.

Older Malaysian cartoon fans would know Lat’s work since the 1960’s when he started drawing cartoons for Berita Minggu and from 1974 in the New Straits Times. Lat still draws editorial cartoons for the New Straits Times today.

Born in Kota Baharu, Gopeng, Perak, on 5th March 1951, Lat has travelled to many countries as a cartoonist. He draws social commentary cartoons for the New Straits Times and also about his travels.

In 1998 Lat did research on race relations across the United States when he was awarded the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship. In May 2011 Lat was in Perugia, Italy, as a participant in the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship Program. Staying in the Civitella Ranieri, a thousand year old castle, Lat and 10 other visual artists, writers and musicians from around the world worked on projects, discussed art and visited famous towns and galleries.

Lat today lives in Ipoh with his family. His editorial cartoons appear in the New Straits Times on Mondays.

Fakhrul RaziBrunei Darussalam

singer-songwriter

Fakhrul Razi is an independent Brunei singer-songwriter. He began writing his own songs when he was 14 years old. He has performed in numerous shows and events in Brunei and International arenas since 2004 including Java Jazz Festival and several venues in Malaysia. Fakhrul has one several awards for his talents including ‘Best Male Vocalist’ from numerous entities.  He has also performed for the King of Bangkok, the Sultan of Brunei, and King Abdullah of Jordan.

While being active in the music scene, Fakhrul Razi is also a TV host for the morning show Rampai Pagi at Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB) and also currently a Radio announcer at Kristal FM, an independent radio station in Brunei. He is one of the most sought emcees for important and exclusive events in Brunei Darussalam.

Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang JiangChina

Calligrapher

Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang is a renowned master of Arabic calligraphy. Born in 1963, in Yucheng, Shandong Province in China, he brings an immense amount of knowledge in Islamic art and traditional thought to a modern audience. The focus of his work is a masterful calligraphic technique that uniquely fuses both the Chinese and Arabic arts.

Haji Noor Deen’s work has been displayed in galleries and museums around the world including The British Museum, San Francisco Asian Museum, National Museum of Scotland and Harvard University Art Museum.

Noor Deen’s extraordinary mastery and genius along with his unique ability to spectacularly present his craft to an audience has brought him lecture and workshop invitations from some of the most renowned and prestigious institutions around the world, including: The Zaytuna Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge University, University of California, Berkeley, Boston University and Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre (FANAR). He has also exhibited his work in a number of countries including the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Mauritius, Kuwait, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Saudi Arabia.

Haji Noor Deen was included in the “Top 500 Most Influential Muslims of 2009, 2010 and 2011.”

I Nyoman SuraIndonesia

Dancer

With a strong influence from the rich culture and art of Bali, I Nyoman Sura is a dancer with strong roots in the traditional dance of the island, who never stops to create. Born in Denpasar in 1978, Sura began dancing when he was 7 years old. In 1996, he graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Arts in Denpasar, where he is now a teacher. His first choreography titled “Lakuku” was created in 1999 and was performed at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, where he was awarded as one of the Best Ten Choreographers. Since then, he has created over ten solo and group dance pieces which have been performed at festivals in various parts of Indonesia and abroad.  Sura has collaborated with a number of international artists all around the world including in Japan, Zimbabwe, Australia and the US.

Imad

Song Writer and Composer

Imad is a multi-talented Artist.  He is a Song Writer, Composer, Keyboardist, Teacher of Arabic Singing Scales and Styles, Recording Artist, Interior Decorator, Graphic Designer, Painting Artist, Calligrapher, Teacher of Calligraphy and Arabic language, and Professional Quran reciter. The most special thing about Imad is that he draws and paints with Calligraphy while singing on stage.

Imad has been living permanently in Malaysia for 21 years (since 1991). He is a very popular Artist in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei. Originally from an artistic Lebanese family (Tripoli), he has 35 years of experience in Calligraphy and different kinds of arts especially singing.

Japanese TraditionalJapan

Dance & Music Group

The Japanese Traditional Dance and Music Group was established by Mrs. Sube Hisako in 1995 at Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur.  She has a lot of certifications as Master of  Japanese Culture in Japan and has been staying in Kuala Lumpur since 1989.  Since then, the group has had many stage performances in Malaysia, and has been requested by Malaysian universities, the Japanese Embassy, Japan Foundation, JACTIM, and more for exchanges between Malaysian and Japanese culture.  Currently, the group is composed of Koto players, a Syakuhachi (bamboo flute) player, and Japanese traditional dancers.

Joe Flizzow

Johan Ishak or better known as Joe Flizzow, is no stranger in the Asian urban entertainment scene. Over the past three years, his presence has grown from steadily after the release of his award-winning English album entitled ‘The President’ in 2009 as a solo artist with stage appearances in various countries like the USA, Netherlands, Britain, Japan, Maldives, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei, cementing his status as Asia’s hip-hop superstar.

This business-savvy, young entrepreneur is also the founder and CEO of Kartel Records, the biggest independent Hip-Hop record label in Malaysia and is responsible for overseeing its growth as one of Asia’s most recognisable Hip-Hop collective and brand. The label hosts a stellar cast of artists such as Altimet, SonaOne, Micbandits (Brunei) and Ila Damiaa.

In 2010, Joe Flizzow made his TV presence Media reality shows, ‘Showdown’, a dance competition show for break-dancing and street dance crews in Malaysia and ‘Mentor’, a singing competition show.  On ‘Mentor’, Joe discovered his protégé Ila

Damiaa and his belief in her talent extended well beyond the duration of the show as he eventually signed her as a recording artist on his label.

‘Patriot’ will be Joe Flizzow’s sophomore studio album, which incidentally will be his first full length Malay language album.  With a studio album, appearances on three TV shows and a nationwide tour in the works, 2012 is the most exciting year for Joe Flizzow yet. As the artist succinctly observes, “we used to have a dream, now we have a plan”.

Linh Duong

filmmaker

Linh Duong would never have dreamt that 20 years after happily swimming out of her mother’s womb and straight into a pail, she would one day become a filmmaker.

Based in Singapore since the age of 18, Linh has been producing and directing fiction and documentary films around South East Asia for the past 3 years. Linh believes in the universal language of Cinema and her work is often infused with a passionate, political discourse.

Her recent experimental short film, Touch, was an official selection for the “In-Focus” programme at the Yxine Film Festival 2012. Her latest documentary, Nine Dragons River, was a winner at the 3rd ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition in July 2011. Her films have also been showcased around Asia, including the Palais de Seoul Gallery, in South Korea; Sinema Old School, in Singapore; and the Vietnamese National TV Channel One, in Vietnam.

A woman of the new generation, who has escaped from the kitchen and gained freedom to pursue her dreams, Linh wonders why she has yet to attain absolute happiness. After a failed attempt to prove her femininity by having an idealised boyfriend, Linh left university and her boyfriend behind, to chase after the dead ends of a new age woman who loves knowledge and power, but still dreams of harmony.

Melissa MelodeeUK

Independent Music Artist

Melissa Melodee is an independent music artist from London, UK. She is a singer/songwriter/rapper/poet and is currently composing a collective of sounds mixed with R&B and HipHop. She also plans to release a Nasheed Album. She has shared the stage with artists such as Poetic Pilgrimage, Pand’or and many other well known artists in the Hip Hop scene. She converted from Christianity to Islam at the age of 18 and continues to do what she does best – Music. She has received the controversy of being a Muslim and doing music but continues to show the liberty of expression and shows the beauty of knowledge.

Melissa Melodee performs with the HipHop Shakespeare company (HHSC) founded by Mobo Award winning HipHop artist ‘Akala’. She has also toured with ‘End of the Weak 2011’ (EOW) in Spain where she was chosen to participate in a HipHop exchange with artists from Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. The tour ended with a collaboration album being released. As she continues to collaborate and perform around the world, her artistry is subsequently recognised and admirably followed.

Mohammed AliUnited Kingdom

Visual Artist

The Art of Mohammed Ali is described as challenging the oft-heard term ‘Clash of Civilisations.’ with his fusion of street-art and Islamic script, along with conscious messages that speak to people of different faith traditions. He describes his work as, ‘taking the best of both worlds’ and bringing back to the forefront principles that are fading away from our modern societies.

Mohammed Ali has been delivering artistic interventions where he combines live street-art with video and soundscapes to create unique multimedia experiences.  His shows have entered theatre and public spaces across, creating unique experiences, where visuals and sounds have been choreographed together, taking street-art into different dimensions.  His organisation Soul City Arts, where he is Artistic Director, has brought together some of the worlds best artists and performers and offered them platforms to perform across the UK.  His background working in the games industry compliments his style, creating unique digital experiences that engage the user in exciting ways.

Mohammed Ali’s art is appreciated by people of all faiths and cultures and he has exhibited art as well as created public spiritual murals in the streets of major cities, such as New York, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne and Dubai to name a few. International media ranging from CNN to Aljazeera, have reported his work as a ‘bridge of understanding’ between faith communities and he has become a regular media figure. He delivers public lectures about the power of the arts to transform society and how it can tackle some of the difficult issues that we face in multi-cultural societies.

Nelson Yeo

Filmmaker

Nelson Yeo, 28, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Digital
Filmmaking from the NTU School of Art, Design & Media. He has directed
several short films and a music video for Singaporean band King Kong Jane.
One of his latest films, “Nobody’s Home,” was screened at the 7th
Singapore Short Cuts, 6th Singapore Short Film Festival and 14th Thai
Short Film & Video Festival. “A Fistful of Yusof Ishaks” and “Ginseng
Boy” have been shown at First Take and SIFF, respectively. “A Hole in
the Bed” was nominated for best cinematography at SSFA 2009. In his
latest film, “Seeya in Elektrik Dreamz,” he continues to offer a
distinctive Singaporean blend of genre films and the art house.

Nighat Chaodhry

dancer

Nighat Chaodhry is a name that is indelibly linked with Kathak, in Pakistan and around the world, wherever people have had the chance to experience the magic of this beautiful dance. Today, Nighat is poised to take the world along on this mystical journey, as a performer, a teacher and a visionary.

An exponent of Eastern mysticism and grace, Nighat Chaodhry began her journey in London. Growing up, dance was her expression of choice and she studied ballet and contemporary dance. Then at sixteen, she met Nahid Siddiqui, regarded as one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and the meeting changed the course of her life. Inspired to learn the classical forms of her own culture, she abandoned ballet and join to understand and absorb the nuances of the style, she needed to be closer to its origins; thus began the journey back East.

From Lahore to Delhi to Bombay, the journey continued over the years under the guidance of such world renowned Kathak masters as Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak in Lahore, Pandit Durga Lal in Delhi and Uma Dogra in Bombay, including workshops with Pandit Birju Maharaj and Kumudinia Lakhia. With such great teachers Nighat found her soul in dancing, and her success as a Kathak dancer is a tribute to them.

Nighat has choreographed and performed her own pieces nationally and internationally, to great acclaim. She has also enjoyed success as an actor on the mini screen and received the Nigar Award, a media award for outstanding performance, for Best Actress.

Nisa Addina TaufikMalaysia

Violinist

I am Nisa Addina Taufik, born on 27th October 1996. I am a solo violinist and have been with the Symphony Orchestra Negeri Sarawak (SONS) Classical since I was 8 years old. I was selected into Permata Pintar (2010) & Permata Seni Musik, Istana Budaya (2010-2011). I started as a soloist when I was 10 years old performing initially for family functions. At 11 years old, I started performing for private and state functions until today. Besides violin, I play the piano too.

2011 was a very memorable year for me. I was crowned Junior World Grand Champion Instrumentalist 2011 in Los Angeles, California during the final round, the first Malaysian to win this title. Along with the Champion Trophy, I took home 3 Golds for the Original, Classical & Contemporary category, 1 silver for Open category and 2 World Champion Division Plaques for Classical & Contemporary category.

In July 2012, I received an award from the Malaysia Book of Records as a Record Holder for First Malaysian To Be Awarded World Junior Grand Champion Instrumentalist.

In August 2012, I was involved in the Fund Raiser, “Sound of Music” as Solo Violinist with South Norfolk Symphonic Orchestra from the UK.

In September 2012, I was invited to perform for the Malaysia Day celebration in Bintulu.

I am taking my musical journey and developing my talents and abilities step by step.

Riaz RafialPakistan

Riaz Rafial is a Pakistani Musician based in Lahore.  He has had many years of training in Classical Dance, Kathak Dance, Singing, Harmonium, Keyboard, and Tabla.  His music training was received under Ustad Altaf Hussain Tafu and Ustad Pervez Paras.  Riaz has collaborated with many well-known Pakistani musicians and artists, as well as taught and performed at numerous institutions and venues.

Shinji Moriwaki

Shinji Moriwaki aka Figure of Speech or just Speech, delivers songs that are politically and socially motivated. His topics cover everything from Islamic extremism, to the media, to the effects of capitalism in the developing world, to the flawed concept of masculinity, as well as teenage pregnancy and abortion.

“I’d describe myself as a writer as much as an emcee. When I write, it’s a slow and painful process because I try to make every line count – I don’t believe in cutting corners. Each track deals with something that is important to me, whether that be a world event or a social problem,” says Speech.

Urban Village

Urban Village is a kreative development centre.

Our emphasis is on the development of “indiepreneur” start-ups and our focus is on the kreative industry where we would like to transform the industry to be accepted by the Malaysian Government as a new source of revenue.

Our vision, is to be the centre that spurs the Malaysian kreative economy and be recognized internationally.

We have come a long way where we started as a small movement, KREAM to a more established organization, funded and supported by strong organizations such as 1MDB and myHarapan.

Our work was featured by TIME Magazine in 2008. Today, we are poised to be the driving force of Malaysian youths in the Kreative industry where we have more than 25 organizations representing a community of approximately 157,000 and growing steadily.

ABUAYUBUL ANSARISingapore

Entrepreneur STAR (Speaker, Trainer, Author & Reliable Coach)

AHMAD MASHADISingapore

Curator

ALVIN TANSingapore

Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage

ANASTASIA MELATISingapore

Dancer

AQMAL NOORSingapore

Singer

AUDREY WONGSingapore

Artist

ENDAH AND RHESAIndonesia

Musician

IRVAN NOE'MANIndonesia

Designer

JANE ARRIETA EBARLEPhilippines

Artist

JULIANA YASINSingapore

Artist

KHAIRUDDIN HORISingapore

Artist

LUCY DAVISSingapore

Visual Artist

MOHAMED PITCHAY GANISingapore

Lecturer

MOHAMED YAHSSIRSingapore

Filmmaker

MUHD NOOR ISKANDARSingapore

Visual Artist

NANA DAKINThailand

Theatre Director

NOORASHIKIN ZULKIFLISingapore

Curator

NOORLINA MOHAMADSingapore

Arts Educator

OTAM RASHIDMalaysia

Musician

RIZKY SASANOIndonesia

Musician

SAMUEL SEOWSingapore

Advocate & Solicitor

SANIF OLEKSingapore

Filmmaker

SASITHARAN THIRUNALANSingapore

Artist

SAZALI BIN MASRAJISingapore

Filmmaker

SEYRASingapore

Independent-Singer Song Writer

WILLIAM HERALD WONGSingapore

Design Director

X-CLUSIVESingapore

Musician

YOSEP ANGGIIndonesia

Filmmaker

ZAN AZLEEUSA

Filmmaker

ZULKIFLI RAMLIMalaysia

Musician

ZULKIFLI SALLEHSingapore

Filmmaker

ZULKIFLIE MAHMOODSingapore

Sound Artist

ALEXEIRussia

Dancer

ENDAH AND RHESAIndonesia

Indie Band

ENYA GILMANKazakhstan

Filmmaker

ESENGALI SADYRBAYEVKazakhstan

Painter

GULNAR SUINBAYEVAKazakhstan

Visual Artist

GULNAZIM OMIRZAKKazakhstan

Visual Artist

ISKANDAR IDRIS & NASSAR ZAINSingapore

Visual Artist

LES' COPAQUE (UPIN IPIN)Malaysia

Filmmakers

MO AMERUSA

Stand-up Comedian

MR SANIF OLEKSingapore

Filmmaker

MR. AGUNG GUNAWANIndonesia

Javanese Dancer

MR. AHMAD AL-HADDAD (ALTIMET)Malaysia

Hip-Hop Artist

MR. ASAD JAFRIChicago (USA)

DJ

MR. BASHIR ISMAILZimbabwe

Humourist

MR. EUGENE JOHNSONOman

Photographer

MR. MADNY AL BAKRYOman

Caliligraffiti

MR. SHYNGYZKazakhstan

Hip-Hop Artist

MURAT ALIMOVKazakhstan

Cartoonist

NURLAN TUREKHANOVKazakhstan

Designer

RAUSHAN ASPANDIYAROVAKazakhstan

Painter

TOLIK GADOMAMADOVTajikistan

Filmmaker

ABDUL MULTHALIB MUSAMalaysia

Sculptor

AGAH PERMADIIndonesia

Photographer

ARIFF AWALUDDINMalaysia

Visual Artist

ARIFF AWALUDDIN & SORAYA YUSOF TALISMAILMalaysia

BAYU UTOMOMalaysia

BILAL RANDEREESouth Africa

Stand-up Comedian

EUGENE FOO SHYANG EUMalaysia

Film Animator

FARAZ YOUSUFZAIUK

Singer, Song Writer & Guitarist

HENA ASHRAFUSA

Filmmaker & Photographer

IMAN ZAWAHRYUSA

Filmmaker

MADNY AL BAKRYOman

Calligraffiti Artist

MAY ABDALLAUnited Kingdom

Filmmaker

MOHSIN & MUBASHIR MOHI-UD DINKashmir

Musician

MUBARIKA NUGRAHENIIndonesia

Anthropologist

MUBASHIR MOHI-UD DINKashmir

Musician

MUSA SYEEDUSA

Filmmaker

NABIL ABOU-HARBUSA

Filmmaker

NADIA JANJUAUSA

Artist & Architect

RAJA SHARIMANMalaysia

Sculptor

REEM HUSSEINUSA

Painter & Calligraphy Artist

SARAH ZERINA USMENUSA

Filmmaker

SHARIL BAHARMalaysia

Musician

SHUKOR YAHYAMalaysia

Fine Artist & Creative Director

SORAYA YUSOF TALISMAILMalaysia

Visual Artist

SUE ANNA JOEMalaysia

Photographer

SYED ALI HEZRIMalaysia

Film Animator

TAREK ATRISSINetherlands

Graphic Designer

YUSUF MISDAQUSA

Filmmaker

ZALFIAN FUZIMalaysia

Theatre Director

ZAN AZLEEMalaysia

Filmmaker