Featured Submission: Suriname
This month’s featured submission is from Xaveer May, sharing his project Odo Onoribo — a documentary photography series exploring how Surinamese odo’ (proverbs filled with communal wisdom) continue to shape life in Suriname.
Through photography, conversations, and archival research, Xaveer traces the tension between tradition and modernity, beginning in the former colonial plantation ‘Onoribo.’
“After two decades away, I returned to Suriname — my motherland — and found it both familiar and distant. I carry only blurred memories, a longing for a land I never truly belonged to, and a melancholy for the world of my ancestors.” - Xaveer May. Read the full submission.
We The Diaspora IRL
This summer, We The Diaspora joined Alfreda’s Cinema Open Air Film Series as a community sponsor, helping bring free screenings of powerful Black and POC stories to audiences across NYC. It was a joy to witness storytelling in motion, and we’re just getting started.
More events are coming this fall, so keep your eyes (and hearts) open!
Etab: The Afro-Arab Songstress & Saudi Arabia's First Female Singer
Did you know that one of Saudi Arabia's first female singers and one of its most acclaimed was an Afro-Arab woman named Etab (Tarouf Abdulkhair Adam Talal)?
Born in 1947, she became a professional singer in the 1960s, making her the first female singer in Saudi Arabia. Etab grew up as a Bedouin and, naturally, a handful of her songs often reflected her Bedouin roots. In addition to singing North African folk songs, at the time, she was also known to mix classic and contemporary songs.
She produced a total of 15 albums and even featured in three films before retiring in 1997. She was also a member of the Union of Arab Artists and the Musicians Syndicate, advocating for women in music.
Art critic Mohammed Refaat describes Etab as a “pioneer”.
“She opened the door for women in the Gulf to step into the singing world. Since that time, men’s domination of this field ended, and we have seen many great women singers, including the UAE’s Ahlam and Kuwait’s Nawal,” he shared.
“Etab’s talents went beyond singing. She was a brilliant composer as well. She composed for herself and other artists. She was also a great live performer,” Refaat told Asharq Al-Awsat.
You can find a snippet of one of her live performances, along with some photos of her music and family, below.
Share with Us!
Got a memory that makes you smile? A photo that’s too good to keep in the group chat? Add it to our gallery! We The Diaspora is collecting stories, recipes, and snapshots from across the Black diaspora, the little moments that remind us who we are. Add yours to our platform and help us keep Black stories alive at wethediaspora.org
