🖐🏽 Protest Poetry, Rooftop Beats & Coptic Girlhood: What’s On in Toronto (July 10–16)

👋🏽 AHLAN / HELLO

Welcome to issue #4 of khamsa!

I’m excited to give you an early look at a special collaboration with the Orange Shirt Society for National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30. We’ll be releasing a new design featuring the message “Every Child Matters” in both English and Arabic (كل طفل يهم). This project honours Indigenous communities whose languages and cultures were deeply impacted by the legacy of residential schools in Canada.

All proceeds will be donated directly to the Orange Shirt Society to support its work in education, reconciliation, and cultural preservation. I’ll share the final design with you here as soon as it’s ready!

Now back to this week’s events. This week is packed! Something is happening every day, so I’m kicking things off with my top 5 picks, followed by a daily breakdown to help you plan your week.

🌟 FIVE EVENTS WORTH CHECKING OUT

📚 Book Launch: When Genocide Wasn’t News: How Canadian media covered-up the destruction of Gaza
A powerful evening of conversation with journalists Martin Lukacs, Desmond Cole, and lawyer Dania Majid, discussing the newly published book exposing how Canadian media covered up the destruction of Gaza.
🌟 Martin Lukacs, Desmond Cole, Dania Majid
💬 English
🗓️ Thursday, July 10 | 7:00–8:30 PM
📍 Centre for Social Innovation Annex – Annex, 720 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4🎟️ Free – Eventbrite

🎬 To a Land Unknown – Canadian Premiere
A haunting new thriller from Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel (A World Not Ours) makes its Canadian debut at TIFF Lightbox. To a Land Unknown follows two displaced cousins stranded in Athens as they scheme for a way out — from scams to high-stakes deception — in a gripping tale of exile, survival, and desperation. Loosely inspired by Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun.
🌟 Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
💬 Palestinian Arabic, Greek, English
🗓️ Friday, July 11, 6:30–8:15 pm & 9:30 – 11:15 pm (More screenings listed below)
📍 TIFF Lightbox, 350 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
🎟️ TIFF

🎶 Moneka and Friends @ MixTO Festival
Experience the infectious energy of Ahmed Moneka as he blends Afro-Sufi traditions with Arabic folk, funk, soul, and jazz. This outdoor set features music from Kanzafula — the first Canadian-Iraqi album to earn a Juno nomination.
🌟 Ahmed Moneka and other artists
💬 Iraqi Arabic / English
🗓️ Sunday, July 13 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 Trillium Park – 955 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M6K 3B9
🎟️ Free – Instagram

📚 Book Launch – Taslīm: We Are the Prophets by Carolyn Ramzy
Celebrate the launch of this bold poetry collection, which explores Coptic girlhood, diasporic memory, and the burden of religious inheritance. Carolyn Ramzy reads from her new book and joins Fady Shanouda in conversation.
🌟 Carolyn Ramzy + Fady Shanouda
💬 English
🗓️ Monday, July 14 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Another Story Bookshop – 315 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M6
🎟️ Free – Mawenzi House

🌌 MEZAR – Toronto Debut
Experience a night where ancestral sounds converge with futuristic sonic landscapes. MEZAR combines Sufi poetry, Algerian diwan rhythms, and Afro-oriental influences with contemporary composition and hypnotic sound design. Featuring Elsa Corgié and Chakib Kouidri, along with Toronto artists Devon Goping and Corey Weinberg.
🌟 Presented by: Kunn Collective, in partnership with Keife Records, F360, Tapestry & Marsm
💬 North African Arabic / Multilingual
🗓️ Tuesday, July 15 | 8:00–11:00 PM
📍 Tapestry – 224 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L6
🎟️ Ticket Tailor

🔓 Looking for more? Every issue of 🖐🏽 khamsa features five staff picks plus even more events organized by day. If you’re a subscriber, keep scrolling. If not, sign up (it’s free!) to unlock the full list.