Beirut:Alia Alzougbi, the artistic director and CEO of the Shubbak Festival, will give a public talk at the American University of Beirut (AUB) on October 13, 2026. The event, organized by the Center for Arts and Humanities (CAH) in collaboration with the Department of English and the Theater Initiative at AUB's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, takes place at 5:00 p.m. in Conference Room 113 of the Asfari Building.
According to National news agency - Lebanon, Alzougbi, who is also an artist in residence at CAH, returns to AUB two decades after graduating. During her time as a social anthropology student, she focused on oral histories while engaging in theater and performance, experiences that influenced her career trajectory leading to the Shubbak Festival, Europe's largest biennial event for contemporary Arab and SWANA arts.
Alzougbi's talk, titled "Rehearsing Otherwise: Art, Diaspora, and the Politics of Imagination," will address the intersection of art with social and political challenges such as genocide and climate change. She will discuss the complexities faced by cultural leaders in diaspora communities and how art can redefine dominant narratives and create spaces for imagining alternative futures.
As a cultural strategist, artist, and facilitator, Alzougbi's work emphasizes the connection between art, social justice, and environmental concerns. The event is free and open to the public, offering an opportunity for attendees to engage with the potential of art and storytelling to address structural inequalities and envision new possibilities.
