NAFS نَفْس curates dynamic events celebrating Queer SWANA creatives through exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, musical performances and community gatherings. Rooted in activism, self-expression, and cultural storytelling, our events create a platform for us, by us.
NEXT EVENTS
PAST EVENTS
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NAFS at MIGRANT CONNECTIONS
Description goes here✨ Migrant Connections Festival 2025 ✨
Join us for the sixth Migrant Connections Festival in collaboration with Stockwell Park Community Centre!
📍 Where: Stockwell Park Community Centre 📅 When: Saturday, 27th September ⏰ Time: 2PM – 8PM
This day is all about celebrating migrant creativity, resistance, and solidarity. Expect powerful performances, art, and conversations as we come together with migrant creatives, artists, organisations, activists, and campaigners.
✨ NAFS Takeover ✨
From 5:30PM – 7:00PM, NAFS will be curating a special lineup featuring incredible acts from:
🎤 @vincentj_official 🎶 @layalmusic 🔥 @mustkika
Come through to connect, dance, and resist through joy. ❤️ -
Sonic & Somatic Journey
Description goes hereJoin us for a transformative 90-minute workshop under the full moon, where we will explore sound, movement, and reflective journaling and reconnection.
What to Expect:
- Guided meditation and gentle breathwork
- Movement practices to enhance connection with your body
- An immersive sound bath featuring inspired soundscapes and live instruments from South West Asia and North Africa
- Reflective journaling prompts to facilitate personal insight
- An optional sharing circle to foster community connection
Your Facilitator:
Yasmine(she/her) is a certified Yoga Teacher and Sound Healing Facilitator with a background in Psychology and Mental Health. She has led workshops around the world, and is passionate about creating accessible spaces that centre body awareness, emotional grounding and community connection.
This workshop is not only a journey of personal healing but also a space for collective solidarity and remembrance. As we gather, we acknowledge the profound impacts of the ongoing genocide in our communities today in Palestine and Sudan and across the global south.
This space offers a moment to reflect on personal and collective histories. By coming together, we aim to foster resilience and understanding in the present. As we gather as a community, it will allow us to reflect and grow together on our paths toward emotional grounding, support and self-awareness. If you are a community worker or activist, we highly encourage you to join us.
first-come
Tickets
Limited availability- tickets are first-come come first-served, including free tickets.
Low income- Purchase a ticket at a lower fee (on UC/Benefits/low wage job)
Free tickets - if you cannot purchase a ticket due to fees, we are happy to provide a ticket; no one turned away.
Fees are to cover our costs, time and energy as well as cover transport. -
NAFS x CLASH
@nafs.space x @clashmagazine 🎶
We’re taking over the @breadandbutterlounge in Shoreditch (Rivington Street):
When you ask?
📆 Saturday, August 2nd,
🕣2–6PM
You’re all invited 🫶🏽
We have incredible lineup of SWANA DJs playing tracks they love and sounds inspired by the region:
✨ @kibriis ✨ @saba_kia ✨ @lanamawlood ✨ @graceeenylilteeny
Come through for good music, good company, coffee or a cold beer and start your weekend with us.
No tickets needed ; just bring yourself and your friends. -
NAFS x FOUNDATION.FM
NAFS Takeover on @foundation.fm 🧿✨
Tune in for Foundation Friday on
📅 June 20th 2025
🕣 6–10PM
Workshop 1 Netil House
1 Westgate Street
E8 3RL
4 hours of sounds from SWANA souls.
We’re bringing you a curated lineup of DJs, centring queer joy and resistance.
@taazdj
@_habibtati_xoxo
@saba_kia
No tickets needed - just show up! We have a few free drinks; first come first serve
Live on foundation.fm — tap in and feel with us. 💿🌍Edited · 15w
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NAFS at The Shangri-La 2025
Description goe🌿✨ NAFS is honoured to be hosting the Nomad Stage at Shangri-La presents: The Wilding at Glastonbury 2025 🌀💫
A new dawn is rising… and what we water will grow. This summer, we’re cultivating joy, resistance, celebration, and collective care through SWANA sounds, stories, and spirit 🌞🌧️🌱
We’ll be bringing the magic of the Queer SWANA diaspora to the fields – expect genre-bending sets, healing frequencies, and bold voices from our community. 🌸🪘🕊️
For secrets, stories, and updates, sign up:
👉 www.weareshangrila.com/signupforjoy 💌s here
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SHUBBAK FESTIVAL LAUNCH May 23rd 2025
Join us to launch Shubbak Festival 2025 with 3EIB in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut, Nol Collective and Trashy Clothing & Nafs Space
We kick off with a celebration of the bold creativity of SWANA fashion with 3EIB in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut, Nol Collective and Trashy Clothing. The People’s Catwalk brings together SWANA designs showcased in an alternative public fashion show featuring members of the Arab and SWANA community of all ages, shapes, sizes, and (dis)abilities. Bodies and fashion come together in an embodied conversation around the role of design in preservation, education and intentional connection.
This event will also feature a performance choreographed by Fadi Giha, accompanied by a soundscape and video installation designed by Sarah Boom - curated by Dania Arafeh.
Following this is a night curated by Nafs Space. More information on the line up to come including a special guest appearance!
Commissioned by Shubbak Festival. Curated by 3eib and Nafs Space. In partnership with Creative Space Beirut and Nol Collective.
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SAPHIC SOUNDS X NAFS
DeSAPPHIC SOUNDS is back, and this time we've collaborated with NAFS نَفْس and The QPOCPROJECT to bring you an evening of live music celebrating queer talent from the SWANA (south west Asia and North Africa) diaspora
On our absolutely incredible lineup, we have:
✯ ETAF - Kuwaiti singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist. Genre-defying and unapologetically ICONIC, Etaf has carved out a distinct musical identity that is as daring as it is innovative. Expect playful, uplifting and powerful energy
✯Rita L’Oujdia - Moroccan singer-songwriter, musician and producer. Taking inspiration from her multicultural upbringing, her music blends global rhythms and genres, creating a unique sound that defies boundaries
✯ anonymous - our third and final artist wishes to keep their identity a secret, a mirage coming from afar to deliver a message that will almost reach you, but not quite. She dances between the lines until the whole page blurs and nothing is left but the illusive margins. We promise, you won’t be disappointed
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NAFS نَفْس is a platform dedicated to celebrating and uplifting Queer SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) creatives. Through exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events, we create spaces for our community to connect, express, and advocate for change
The QPOCPROJECT is an organisation and community space for all black and brown queer people
Venue access: Bar Doña is on basement level and is accessed via one flight of stairsscription goes here
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Dalston SWANASTORE April 10th 2025
🚨 DALSTON SWANASTORE TAKEOVER 🚨
Your fave London/SWANA collectives are coming together for one night only 🥵🥵
Expect Arabic beats, electrifying vibes, and pure community magic as we showcase some of the most exciting talent from the region!
🎧 On the decks:
Bar: @Sarra Wild, @NourPalestina and @Lana Mawlood
Basement: @1000raks, @Persia Joon and @Sonsonic
+ some surprise special guests 👠
Brought to you by @3EIB, @NAFS, @Bledi and new-on-the-scene @Pusswana ~ taking you on a sexy sonic journey across the SWANA soundscape.ription goes here -
Self Defence classes
NAFS is proud to collaborate with Shadow Sisters, a grassroots collective dedicated to providing self-defense training for marginalized communities. Through this partnership, we’ve hosted self-defense workshops tailored for Queer SWANA individuals, creating a space where our community can build confidence, reclaim their power, and learn practical tools for protection.
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Yalla Visa
Yalla Visa was a vibrant fundraiser celebrating queer artistry, resilience, and collective action. This special event brought together a diverse lineup of talented queer musicians in support of singer-songwriter ETAF, helping them secure a global talent visa to stay in the UK.
The night was filled with electrifying performances, powerful storytelling, and a shared commitment to uplifting queer talent. 85% of proceeds went directly toward ETAF’s visa application, ensuring they could continue sharing their music with the world, while 15% was donated to Operation Olive Branch, standing in solidarity with those resisting oppression.
More than just a fundraiser, Yalla Visa was a celebration of community care, mutual aid, and the power of collective support. It was a testament to the strength of the Queer SWANA community—coming together to fight for visibility, belonging, and creative freedom.
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Healing Workshop
In collaboration with SWANA Healing, NAFS hosted a deeply moving in-person healing session centered on grief, reconnection, and reclaiming traditions as a form of self-regulation and collective care. Facilitated by SWANA healing, the session provided a sacred space for the community to meditate, express, and create together.
Through shared moments of reflection, laughter, tears, and artistic expression, we explored the ways our cultural practices can sustain us through loss and resilience. This gathering was a testament to the power of coming together—to grieve, to heal, and to honour our roots.
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Book Club
A collaborative book club by NAFS and PoA, celebrating literature by and for Queer SWANA voices. Each session explores powerful texts that reflect our histories, identities, and resistances, fostering deep conversations on storytelling, representation, and cultural memory. More than just a book club, this is a space for community, reflection, and collective learning—where our narratives take centre stage.
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Queer SWANA Exhibition
Description goes hereIn collaboration with SPACE 4 SWANA, NAFS hosted a powerful exhibition that showcased the incredible work of Queer SWANA artists. The opening night marked a vibrant celebration of resistance, culture, and self-expression, bringing together a community of creatives and supporters. We are grateful to everyone who attended, and to the talented artists who contributed their work, as well as @3eib for providing the space. This event is a testament to NAFS’ commitment to elevating Queer SWANA voices and creating spaces for artistic and cultural dialogue.
Stay tuned for more events, exhibitions, and opportunities to engage with the dynamic world of Queer SWANA art.
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Creative Workshop
NAFS was honored to host an immersive event at SPACE 4 SWANA by @3eib, bringing together the Queer SWANA community for a day of connection, creativity, and cultural celebration. Attendees experienced a rich blend of activities, including dolma making, art healing, and film screenings, all designed to foster healing, community engagement, and artistic expression.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the artists, performers, and facilitators who made this event possible, and to everyone who participated and attended. This event reflects NAFS’ ongoing mission to create dynamic spaces where Queer SWANA voices can thrive and share their stories
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WE ARE FAMILY – Fringe! x NAFS Film Screening
A celebration of resilience, chosen family, and queer defiance, WE ARE FAMILY spotlights short films from the SWANA diaspora, exploring themes of migration, exile, and belonging. Too often told we don’t belong—neither here nor at home—our filmmakers challenge this notion, carving out space for love, resistance, and connection on their own terms.
Presented in collaboration with FRINGE, this screening highlights the ways in which Queer SWANA individuals navigate alienation and prejudice, both in the region and the West, while finding strength in community, identity, and self-determination.
Because no matter where we are, we are family. 🧿💚🧿
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You Belong Here - Counterpoints x NAFS
Through art, performance, and community, we honor the full spectrum of our experiences, embracing both grief and joy as acts of resistance and resilience.
As part of Southbank Centre’s You Belong Here program, in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts, we curated a powerful day of dance, music, spoken word, and performances, centering Queer SWANA voices. With an incredible lineup of artists, DJs, and speakers, this event was a testament to the strength of our community—a moment of collective healing, expression, and solidarity.
At NAFS, we continue to create spaces where our stories take center stage, where we reclaim our narratives, and where we remind each other: we belong here.
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Grieve into Love/ Action
A day of togetherness, reflection, and action as we explore how grief can be transformed into love, resistance, and change. Through a carefully curated program of talks, vendors, and a special screening of Michel Khleifi’s Maloul Remembers its Destruction, we honor our histories while looking toward collective healing and solidarity.
The day will culminate in a transformative performance featuring 15 artists, uniting to channel sorrow into strength, grief into love, and pain into actionable change—embodying the very essence of this gathering.
Join us as we come together to hold space, create, and build a future rooted in care, resilience, and defiance.