# How Berlin’s Arab queers are building their community

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-berlins-arab-queers-are-building-their-community/
- Published: 2026-11-03T14:37:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T20:08:23+00:00
- Original publisher: DW
- Original article: https://www.dw.com/en/how-berlin-s-arab-queers-are-building-their-community/a-79833143?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Topics: Culture, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- ADIRA creates community events for queer people with Arab and regional roots.
- Its third drag festival celebrated Eastern Mediterranean divas.
- The collective offers belonging amid rising prejudice.

## Summary

Berlin’s ADIRA collective is creating events and spaces for queer people with Arab, Southwest Asian and North African roots to celebrate their culture and build community. Its co-founder, Lebanese performance artist Hassandra, says bringing Arab identity into drag is important, while the festival’s performances also encourage audiences to question the legacies of admired public figures.

Founded in 2023 by Hassandra and Syrian-German DJ and cultural producer Zuher Jazmati, ADIRA runs panel discussions, performances and music events. The collective’s third drag festival took place in late October under the theme “Who’s Your Diva?!”, with performers paying tribute to figures including Umm Kulthum, Bülent Ersoy and Haifa Wehbe. The article says such spaces offer belonging and support amid rising Islamophobia and homophobia, and have taken on added importance after a deadly Islamist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day parade.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.