Farah Barqawi

Born 1985 in Damascus/Syria.

Farah Barqawi is a writer and editor, translator, performer, media producer, and a feminist activist. Born to Palestinian parents in Damascus, she has lived in many different cities such as Gaza/Palestine, Dubai/United Arab Emirates, Chicago, IL/USA, Beirut/Lebanon, and is currently based in Cairo. Barqawi writes poetry, prose, and articles in Arabic, several of which have been translated into English. For the last years (2018–2019), she has been touring the Middle East and Europe for her first solo performance Baba, Come to Me, written and produced by her.

Most recently, she produced, wrote, and hosted the fourth season of the Arabic podcast Eib (Shame) in cooperation with SOWT, tackling modern stories and issues related to love and relationships. The series has received high praise and acclaim, and has topped the charts in the Arab World.

Barqawi is also the co-founder of two feminist projects: Wiki Gender, a participatory platform for Arabic knowledge production and curation on gender and feminism; and The Uprising of Women in the Arab World; a secular platform that campaigns for women’s rights in Arabic speaking countries. Barqawi holds a MA in public policy from the University of Chicago (2011).