Becoming the City presents our work as active citizens in Athens. It showcases perspectives from members of our team, speaking as individuals and as one, across and through multiple languages. The piece centres on citizenship, activism, art, and the political voice: how we use diversity to create the city, find shared histories and connected cultures, use art to assert presence and belonging, and work to become Athenians. Our narratives stretch across geographies and borders. From this emerge rebellious methodologies that […]

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‘The Movement Exists in Voice and Sound’ is an audio piece produced by Kareem Al Kabbani and Tom Western, co-founders of the Active Citizens Sound Archive in Athens, Greece. In the piece they explore the sonic qualities of active citizenship through public protest and song, from Al Kabbani’s birth city, Damascus, Syria, to the pair’s adopted home city of Athens.  (Abstract written by George Kafka) Published in the collection Sonic Urbanism: The Political Voice in November 2020, edited by &beyond […]

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by Kareem al Kabbani A report by Kareem al Kabbani from Khora Social Kitchen and Café in Kypseli, Athens. With discussion of food as a way of gathering, the work of food distribution in corona times, and making spaces of inclusion.

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Trailer for forthcoming video project! ‘Becoming the City’ presents our work as active citizens in Athens. It showcases perspectives from members of our team, speaking as individuals and as one, across and through multiple languages. Our thoughts centre on citizenship, activism, art, and the political voice: how we use diversity to create the city, how we remind ourselves of shared histories and connected cultures, how we use art to tell the city we are here, how we work to become […]

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by Tom Western This piece is a remapping of Athens. It finds its cartography through an imagined conversation between two poets – Édouard Glissant and Nicolas Calas – who both think in circles and circulations, and make a musical language that sounds out the rhythms and relations of struggle. From this imaginary, an Athens emerges that sings long histories of movement, encounter, exchange. It consists of three videos. Part One, ‘Η Πάλη Η Πόλη’ (‘The Struggle The City’), finds Athens […]

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by Tom Western Published in IDEES, 51 (2020), special issue on ‘A New Vision for the Mediterranean‘

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by Kareem Alkabbani, Wael Habbal, and Tom Western Published in Forced Migration Review, 63 (2020), special issue on ‘Cities and Towns‘

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A radio programme we made, commissioned by Onassis Cultural Center and presented for the first time as part of MOVEMENT FESTIVAL 1920-2020 https://www.onassis.org/whats-on/movement-1920-2020 Al’athinioun is Arabic for ‘Athenians’. It speaks to new Athenian identities that develop through movement and diversity. In this programme, we discuss being and belonging in Athens, resisting the label of ‘refugee’ and instead becoming citizens. This is soundtracked by music, dance, protest, and an array of everyday activisms. ” الاثينيون ” وتعني سكان اثينا . تتحدث […]

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We held a gathering at our new office at Odyssea to celebrate finishing our first interactive series of workshops focused on facilitating people find paths to employment. With music from Hussain Badran. قمنا باستضافة اجتماع في مكتبنا الجديد في اوديسا للاحتفال بإنهاء اول سلسلة من ورشات العمل التي تركز على مساندة الأشخاص بالوصول الى مكان العمل Πραγματοποιήσαμε μια συγκέντρωση στο νέο μας γραφείο στην Odyssea για να γιορτάσουμε το τέλος του πρώτου κύκλου διαδραστικών σεμιναρίων με θέμα τους διάφορους τρόπους […]

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Abdul Baset al-Sarout was a revolutionary leader, songwriter and goalkeeper. He was killed in June 2019 and we held a rally in Syntagma Square in his honour. عبد الباسط الساروت بطل من ابطال الثورة السورية , مارس رياضة كرة القدم وكان حارس للمرمى وأيضا ذو حس فني وصوت ثائر. استشهد عبد الباسط الساروت في عام 2019 وقد تجمعنا في ساحة السنتغما في أثينا لتكريم الشهيد .

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