WASWASA - Whispers in Prayer

The upcoming Waswasa show will be an immersive theatrical experience exploring the act of Islamic prayer in British secular society. It will take place at the Birmingham Hippodrome for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 Festival in August. Amal played a key role in connecting community groups to the project for the development of the installation part of the show.

Soul City Arts (SCA) launched its Waswasa project by hosting community workshops in Birmingham. SCA’s new warehouse space sits in an industrial setting in Sparkbrook. Participants stepped from this setting on baking hot days into a totally contrasting world inside the warehouse, a cool, dimly lit oasis of peace and calm, a perfect place in which to reflect on the meaning of prayer in their lives. Participants shared both personal and collective prayers which they wrote directly on to prayer mats draped across the walls and tables of the new SCA warehouse studio.

To ensure all voices were represented, SCA contacted Amal to link them to groups across the city. Amal shared its established links to community groups from a wide range of demographics to attend and engage in this new and exciting project. The collection of prayers from the community is an integral part of this project as the prayer mats on which they are written will form part of the installation at the Waswasa show in August.

Waswasa runs from Thu 25 August – Sat 3 September at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
Book tickets here.

As we build relationships with our stakeholders (Muslim communities, artists, and arts and cultural organisations), it is also important that we connect them with each other. Depending on their needs, interests and skills, we make introductions, signpost them to opportunities available elsewhere and enable each of our stakeholders to reach relevant organisations and communities that they may otherwise not have access to.

WASWASA – Whispers in Prayer