I grew up in Edmonton. My compass is the North Saskatchewan River and I can tell you exactly what time of year it is by looking at the construction. So, with that said, I was never a stranger to the Mosquers. I remember hearing about this film festival meant for Muslims by Muslims, and every year I’d hear about it a little more as it grew in popularity. Somehow, it wasn’t until this year that I finally went. Every Muslim artist can tell you that there is a severe lack of space for us; filmmakers, poets, writers, and singers alike. Yet the Mosquers claimed to be that space. 

Mosquers was started  in 2007. It aspired to showcase the diversity, joy, pain, humanity, and art that can come out of the Muslim community, especially in an age where misconceptions seem only to increase when it comes to our faith. From the moment Muna Abdulahi took the stage, I could tell they succeeded. 

Battle of the tongues

A pain shared by all immigrants is the battle between your mother’s tongue and that of your new home. Which language do you sacrifice? Who do you please? It’s an inherent part of the diasporic identity and Abdulahi’s poetry represented it perfectly, taking all the different thoughts in my head, in all the different languages I store, and putting them together to create a feeling that reverberated through the entire theatre. 

A Proclamation

Mayor Sohi took the stage soon after to proclaim and affirm The Mosquers’ mission to combat Islamophobia through art. “Edmonton belongs to all of us,” he said, and maybe this time I believed it. 

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This festival has made a difference in bringing people together.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi

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Of course, the Edmonton Mayor’s address cannot be complete without putting down Calgary. Especially in the presence of former Calgary Mayor, Naheed Nenshi, who was in attendance that evening. 

Calgary’s not all bad

This year’s host, comedian Malik Elassal, is also from Calgary (don’t worry we booed) but I quickly forgave the fact when I realized he was actually funny. I mean comedy is comedy, but rarely has comedy felt so catered to me; more specifically, the Muslim part of me. It’s an interesting feeling to not be an afterthought but to simply exist. I asked myself ‘Is this what it feels like to not be a minority?’

Art as activism

Resistance through art was a prominent concept that evening. Each film featured a unique exploration of struggle. From comedy to animated sequences to documentary style, there was no lack of creativity in the featured stories. 

It Happens To Us was particularly jarring as it tackled the intricacies of mental illness and their less than adequate handling by the police. After a shocking end, a simple black screen remains with a message to the audience that over 700 Canadians have been made victim to police force during a mental health crisis. 

Another film, Uncivilized, highlighted the stories of Syrian refugees in Calgary in a documentary style. The film goes through interviews with different refugees and aims to portray reality — they’re not here to take our jobs or our homes, but are simply people trying to make the best of a horrible situation. The coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War has been the inspiration behind the film’s creation as repeatedly, we heard the harmful rhetoric that Ukranian refugees are ‘just like us, blond and blue-eyed’ or that they’re not ‘refugees from Syria.’  

Nemahsis

The pinnacle of the night was a performance by Palestinian-Canadian singer, Nemahsis. For the past year, she has been a fierce advocate for the Palestinian struggle. And she, like many, has faced the cruel consequences when her label disagreed with her stance and dropped her. Despite being on her own, her success has sky-rocketed in the past year with hits like “stick of gum,” which has a music video that was filmed in Palestine, and most recently, “coloured concrete.” She performed both that night.

It’s not often that an artist can measure up to their recordings when performing live, but Nemahsis was absolutely enchanting. I entered the performance as someone who admired her and exited the theatre as a full-blown fan. 

Bring it home

What I would love to see though is a return to where it all began; an effort to showcase Muslim, Edmontonian artists.

Overall, from where I was sitting, the event was a success. The Mosquers have gained one more regular attendee.

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Photo by Manar Alsilwadi