Arab queer collective ADIRA builds community in Berlin through drag festivals

Hassandra and Zuher Jazmati founded the ADIRA collective in Berlin in 2023 to create a space for queer Arab culture.

The group organizes events, music nights, and performances that include people from Southwest Asia and North Africa. These gatherings aim to foster a sense of belonging and mutual support for individuals facing both Islamophobia and homophobia. The collective hosted the third ADIRA Drag Festival in late October.

This year's event featured the theme "Who's Your Diva?!" and showcased performers who paid tribute to icons from the Eastern Mediterranean. Hassandra performed as the Lebanese pop star Elissa, using the character to explore the complexity of public figures. Hassandra stated that the performance encourages the audience to view these icons through a critical lens rather than following them blindly. Hassandra moved to Berlin from Lebanon in 2017 to escape a worsening economic situation.

Since then, the artist has used drag to explore themes of nostalgia, displacement, and identity. The collective's work became particularly important following a terrorist attack during a pride parade in Berlin in July. Hassandra noted that the attack led to increased racism against Arab people, and the group seeks to reject that hatred by creating a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone in Germany.