PRESS RELEASE
Issue date: London, 30 September 2013
From Sindbad to Sci-Fi:
Re-imagining Arab Science Fiction
 Global movement to revive Arab Sci-Fi kicks off in
London
 Luminary thinkers gather to explore the future of Arab
Science Fiction
 Science Museum partners with Nour Festival of Arts to
support Sci-Fi initiative
The Middle East’s past and future connection with science fiction will be discussed
at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre as a programme highlight of the Nour Festival of
Contemporary Arts.
A discussion forum to Re-imagine Arab Science Fiction will take place on Wednesday
2 October, 7-9pm at the Dana Centre. The talks will explore the transition of science fiction
narratives between East and West, unravel its journey from the past to the present and look
at what might lay ahead.
A stellar line up of speakers will consider whether a revival of Arab Sci-Fi could be of
international importance today more than ever? Participants will include writers, authors,
literary critics, cultural commentators, social scientists, artists, academics and Sci-Fi fans.
The Sci-Fi event is set to attract a packed audience. Tickets have sold out due to popular
demand. No other event has previously been staged in the UK on this theme or scale.
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Panellists will participate in a live 'Thought Experiment' by responding to this pivotal question:
'What impact would a mass revival of Arab Science Fiction have on the world?'
CHAIR
Quentin Cooper: Broadcaster, writer, and ‘Material World’ host for BBC Radio 4
SPEAKERS
Samira Ahmed: Journalist, broadcaster and news presenter.
Ziauddin Sardar: Writer, academic, and cultural critic.
Amal El-Mohtar: Author, fantasy fiction writer and award-winning poet.
Khyle Alexander Raja: Artist, architect, and creative producer.
The evening will culminate in a live poll vote that will ask the audience to decide:
Is a global revival of Arab Sci-Fi more vital than ever?
Quentin Cooper said: “This offers a fascinating insight not only into the world of Arab science
and the worlds that science fiction has depicted, but into why this genre needs reviving and
what we all might gain from it”
Samira Ahmed said: “Who could have imagined President Morsi would be citing Planet of the
Apes as an influence? But from the battling tribes of Dune to the police states controlling
affluent societies in 1970s Sci-Fi thrillers like Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and
Rollerball, science fiction has long been a vital prism through which to view contemporary
fears and fascinations about repressive regimes and alien cultures. l'm looking forward to
debating my thesis that Argo presented the Iranian Revolution as a zombie Apocalypse.”
Ziauddin Sardar said: “Science fiction existed in the Muslim world way back in the midthirteen century when Persian astronomer, al-Qazwini, wrote Awaj bin Anfaq - an Arabic
tale in which an alien arrives on earth from a distant planet and is intrigued by human
behavior. Unfortunately, it never took off as a genre in Muslim societies. But now Muslim
science fiction is set to return in a big way. The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Naguib Mahfouz,
Egypt’s greatest novelist, and Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson in America are just two
recent works that are re-establishing science fiction as a genre in the Muslim world and
beyond.”
Yasmin Khan [event producer] said: “The Sci-Fi salon will be the first of it’s kind and a rare
opportunity to bring to the fore fresh thinking on the topic. I am delighted that the Dana
Centre, in partnership with the Nour Festival, is providing a platform for some extraordinary
speakers to contribute their views. We anticipate the discussion will help to seek out
emerging talent as well as inspire the next generation of aspiring SF writers and artists to
tackle the ‘big questions’ such as ‘What’s out there?’, ‘Are we alone?’ and ‘Who are we?’”
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FAQs:
Is there a historical Arab link to Science Fiction?
Science Fiction (SF) as we now know it, has come to be regarded as a Western phenomena
but earlier precursor works from other parts of the world are less well known. Epic writers
from across the Middle East, such as Ibn al-Nafis, explored new ideas about the world in his
13th Century treatise Theologus Autodidactus, a work of proto-science fiction. Al-Farabi‘s 9th
Century Opinions of the residents of a splendid city, was ahead of its time in envisioning a
Utopian society. Al-Qazwini‘s 13th Century futuristic tale of Awaj bin Anfaq, about a man
travelling to Earth from a distant planet, is thought to be early speculative work.
Why should SF be important to the Middle East now?
Science fiction is a realm where new ideas can be explored, imagined, digested, rejected or
embraced. Science in the Islamic world flourished and excelled in the past but for many
complex reasons is past it’s zenith. Accelerating scientific and technological progress across
the Middle East and North Africa is interdependent on a revival of the imagination. Science
fiction has long been a bridge between the arts and sciences, which is continually evolving to
reflect the impact of science, technology and socio-political change on ourselves and our
globalised societies. Science fiction can be a catalyst for visioning the future beyond the
uprisings of the Arab Spring. A mass revival of Arab Sci-Fi is more urgent than ever.
Are new SF works emerging from the Middle East and Diaspora?
Up until now, the Middle East has largely consumed, or has been the object of intrigue in SF
made in the West. New buds of internally produced forms of Sci-Fi are now beginning to
emerge across the Arab world and Diaspora. Recent ground-breaking examples of
publications and film include: THE 99 founded by Naif Al-Mutawa – superhero characters
based on the 99 attributes of Allah to reflect Islamic concepts appealing to universal values;
Ajwan written by Noura al Noman from Sharjah is currently the only Arabic Sci-Fi book to be
written by a female; Ahmed Khaled Towfik’s Utopia; G. Willow Wilson's novel Alif the Unseen
about the virtual & mystical adventures of a young Arab hacker; Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of
the Crescent Moon was nominated for the 2012 Nebula and Cambell Awards; Hawjan coauthored by Yasser Bahjatt in Saudi Arabia, is an Arabic short novel that blends fantasy, SciFi and romance; 1.1, an Arabic Sci-Fi film that uses speculative designs to critique pseudocontemporary Middle Eastern society; The Sons of Two Suns is the first Sci-Fi film to be
successfully produced in UAE and there are other works in progress: EKON, an
environmental Sci-Fi film is being developed in UAE, and Dubai International Film Festival
have launched a short film competition in partnership with Middle East Film and Comic Con.
Which major SF works have been influenced by the Middle East?
George Lucas used spiritual elements of Islam, along with other world religions, to convey the
universal understandings of good and evil. ‘Al-Jeddi’ is an Arabic term meaning master of the
mystic-warrior way. Frank Herbert’s Dune also contains a plethora of Arabic terms of
reference as well as being a profound analogy on the struggle for the monopoly of oil between
East and West. Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 resonates the predicament of
many in the Middle East between Islamist repression or repression of Islamism. Ray Bradbury
had a strong bond to the Middle East, especially to Baghdad, the city his imagination
inhabited. He saw himself in the same tradition as the fantasy storytellers of The Thousand
and One Nights. In the Illustrated Man he re-invented Scheherazade’s frame narrative by
weaving unrelated short stories together.
What is Sindbad Sci-Fi?
Sindbad Sci-Fi is an organic creative movement to spur the re-imagination of Arab Science
Fiction. Sindbad Sci-Fi will sustain a growing community of interest through brokering face-toface dialogue, informed online discussion, new social networks, content mapping and
research into the genre.
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Why is there a ‘d’ in Sindbad?
Sindbad the sailor is the fictional sailor from the Arabian Book of One Thousand and One
Nights, considered to be a early composite work of proto-science fiction and fantasy.
Sindbad’s extraordinary voyages led him to adventures in magical places whilst meeting
monsters and encountering supernatural phenomena. ‘Sindbad’ is closer to the original Arabic
pronunciation.
Notes to Editors:
1. The Nour Festival, now in its fourth year, is a celebration of the very best in
contemporary Middle Eastern and North African arts and culture. Nour, which means
light or illumination in many Middle Eastern languages, springs to life each October
and November in venues across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and
challenges preconceptions, sparks debate and provides insight into culture from
across the MENA region. The festival’s highly acclaimed programme of art, film,
literature, music and performance has established Nour as a crucial meeting point for
East and West. With long-term leadership provided by the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea, Nour is the ever-exuberant expression of a growing family
of partner organisations. See the 2013 Nour Festival brochure online.
2. The Science Museum's Dana Centre is an adult-only venue that explores issues in
contemporary science through dialogue, interaction, performance and art whilst
enjoying food and drinks in a fully-licensed café-bar. The Science Museum’s Dana
Centre is a collaboration between the British Science Association, the European
Dana Alliance for the Brain and the Science Museum. It is part of the Wellcome
Wolfson Building, which is supported by four principal donors - the Wellcome Trust,
the Wolfson Foundation, The Dana Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
3. Press launch/reception will take place at Chelsea Old Town Hall on 1 Oct at 19.00.
RSVP rbkc@kallaway.com | 0207 221 7883
4. Media Images are available for download:
'Star Wars depicted as an Ottoman miniture' © Murat Palta, 2011
'Trip to the Heavens', Vintage book cover of an Arabic Sci-Fi novel, Cairo, 1953
5. For more information about the event visit: www.SindbadSciFi
Twitter: @SindbadSciFi #SindbadSciFi Facebook
PRESS ENQUIRIES:
Contact Yasmin at: SindbadSciFi@gmail.com
M: +44 (0)78 886 88711
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