Ble MAE BILAADI?
the dichotomy of dual heritage.
a juxtaposition of having homes and families in locations where safety is reliable, as well as in places where the political climates are temperamental and unstable.
"nostalgic at the core"
- Wales Arts Review
BLE MAE, meaning where is in Welsh, and BILAADI, meaning country in arabic, translates to: Where is country?
Ble Mae Bilaadi? was commissioned by the Plethu Project, a cross-artform collaboration platform.
Hanan and Aisha connected on how they both long for their Middle Eastern cultures, and fear that that history will be destroyed through the adversity of war.
Hanan Issa is a Welsh, Iraqi poet (National Poet of Wales), and Aisha holding dual heritage Welsh and Lebanese. The work explores the juxtaposition of having homes and families in a familiar, white and westernised Wales, as well as in Iraq and Lebanon, where the political climates are considered unpredictable and dangerous.
Whilst doing what they can to preserve their Arabic identities, the project explores what it means to be Welsh, and living in Wales, as a woman of colour in in 21st century.
The film was selected to represent culture in Wales during her late Royal Majesty's visit to the Senedd, Welsh Government 10 year Anniversary in 2021, as well as studied and explored by secondary schools in South Wales.