Dreaming Archives - Invitation to an Online Monthly Drop-in

Dear friends and fam,

I’m writing to let you all know that I’ll be starting a monthly online drop-in from October that I’m calling Dreaming Archives. As anyone who has read any of the posts in this newsletter or any of my work, you know this is my jam, and I’ve been dreaming into my own archive with my family and community since longgg time.

This came in response to absence and questions, and then discovering publicly inaccessible French/Algerian state archives, designed to control and erase our people. And even if they were accessible, they might tell us something but they’re certainly not telling us stories about ourselves, for ourselves and by ourselves.

I’m interested in these kinda stories that are housed outside of conventional frameworks, and challenging common notions of what archives can be and how we engage with them. In recent times this has led me to oral stories, song, dhikr, dance - to more embodied, experiential memories that are transmitted heart to heart. Because in the end all you have left is yourself, and remembering through yourself is the ultimate form of resistance and archiving.

So I was thinking it might be nice to meet once a month online for a drop-in session where we bring along something that connects us back to these stories to build our own archives. This could be listening to soundscapes, decorating yourself with henna, writing, scanning in dusty photos, reading old letters, learning songs, making your family’s favourite recipes. Whatever feels right for you, you’ll know. This is for anyone who resonates with the theme - I’ll be inviting the fam!

I’m excited to use it as an opportunity to dig around in bits and pieces for this mailing list, which also made me want to set this up. If you’re interested, drop me on email on leila1gamaz@gmail.com or message me if you have my number

We’ll start in October inshaAllah. See some of you there

All images my own and from the Gamaz|Roberts archive