Hekayah | The Story

Hekayah | The Story brings together poets, singers, and musicians to showcase the beautiful diversity of the UAE

What does home mean to you? Your country, your city, your family? Celebrate UAE's National Day, Eid al Etihad, with a lineup of poets, spoken word artists, musicians, and storytellers from diverse backgrounds coming together to explore their heritages and cultures for the 11th annual Hekayah | The Story.

Join us in The Black Box with emcee Shahad Alsaqqaf for this intimate evening of memorable performances. Lineup to be announced.

The performers are selected through a collaborative curatorial process by key players in the literary and performing arts communities across the UAE. This year’s curators are:

• Ali Al Dhiyebi, Founder of STR8UP Entertainment

• Bill Bragin, Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center

• Jennah Fakhouri, an award winning poet, writer and wandering spirit

• Lana Goliath, Senior Associate Producer at The Arts Center 

• Rawad Raidan, poet, writer and co-host of Abu Dhabi Writer’s Club

• Reem Allam, Associate Director of Artistic Planning at The Arts Center 

• Trixie Danielle, poet, writer, performance artist and a core member TRIBE Creatives & Communications and 63Kolektib

Shahad Alsaqqaf

Shahad Alsaqqaf is an Emirati writer, poet, and multidisciplinary artist who explores storytelling through poetry, music, acting, and spoken word. She is an alumnus of New York University Abu Dhabi, with a BA in Literature and Creative Writing with a minor in Anthropology. Shahad moves fluidly between languages and artistic mediums, embracing the intersections of language, performance, and identity to connect with human experiences.

Her work is deeply rooted in both Arabic and English, weaving between the two to create layered narratives. She has performed at cultural events such as NYUAD Art Center’s Hekayah and Rooftop Rhythms. As a member of Al Diwan, she has published original poetry in its Archival Poetry Collection. Beyond the page, Shahad experiments with performance as a mode of storytelling. In New York, she co-wrote and starred in The Real AD show, explored improvisational theater at London’s BRIT School, and made her acting debut in the role of Shabasa in Hamour Doesn’t Leave the Cubicle directed by Reem Almenhali. She has also served as an MC at international events, including the Sharjah International Film Festival, attended by HH Sheikh Sultan Al Qasemi.