The SWANA Events Enriching Europe’s Music Scene

A notable movement of Middle Eastern music nights is taking hold in Europe, carving out spaces for connection, safe self-expression, and radical joy in the Arab diaspora. This is a relatively new phenomenon: the post-pandemic era ushered in a generation determined to rebuild a sense of community and reclaim spaces of pleasure and party that were previously white-dominated. Moreover, with the MENA region found to be the fastest growing music industry in 2022, these events now also facilitate important musical collaboration between artists and DJs within and among diasporic communities, as well as creative exchange between diaspora and homeland.

The themed events are often termed ‘SWANA,’ that is, South West Asia and North Africa – it’s an acronym that shuns the euro-centrism inherent in the term ‘Middle East’ and has consequently gained traction among the politically-conscious diaspora in recent years. Indeed, DJ Nooriyah’s Middle Of Nowhere Party in London plays on this very idea in its title, reflective of its aim to spotlight marginalised voices and tunes hailing from the Arab-speaking world.