🌅 Embers of the East: A Community Solidarity Circle for SWANA Queers
Dates: 27 November, 4 December, 11 December
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Location: The Advocacy Academy, Brixton
Lead Facilitator: Dr Mehdi Alemohammad (Registered & Chartered Psychologist, EMDR & Schema Therapist) [all dates]
Co-Facilitators: Yanar from Mind & Movement (Registered Yoga Therapist) [4 and 11 December]; Rubbia Ali (Trainee Clinical Psychologist) [all dates]; Dr Fauzia Cullasy (they/them) (Clinical Psychologist) [4 and 11 December]
About the Event
Please note that this event is only for people who identify as SWANA ("Middle Eastern") and as LGBTQIA+.
Over the past two years, the livestreaming of genocide and global violence has torn through many layers of who we are. Our SWANA queer communities — spanning many cultures, faiths, and lineages — continue to bear the weight of racism, Islamophobia, and colonial displacement, now intensified by the rise of fascism and global violence.
Yet no one is talking about the deep psychological, emotional, and spiritual toll this takes on our collective psyche. Witnessing such violence, often in isolation, can leave us feeling helpless and disconnected.
But we are anything but helpless.
We are powerful — and we heal through each other.
Embers of the East is a three-week solidarity circle for sharing, processing, mobilising, mourning, and resisting together. This community space invites us to hold one another in our collective grief, anger, and rage — transforming these emotions into connection, resilience, and care.
Through sharing our untold stories, movement, breathwork, guided imagery, and grounding practices, we will honour our ancestors and dream toward a freer future.
Attendance and Continuity
Grief and rage of this scale often require more than one single session to be connected with or processed in a contained way.
For this reason, we strongly recommend attending all three sessions to experience the full arc of collective healing and continuity within the group.
Bring your Ember
Please bring an item with you that symbolises your home, culture, or ancestry. We’ll use these to decorate the space, helping us physically and spiritually reconnect with our roots and heritage.
Cost and Contributions
Each session is ticketed at £5 per individual to encourage intentional attendance and to minimise cancellations, ensuring spaces can be offered to others who wish to attend. All proceeds will go to Mutual Aid Sudan Coalition, which provides direct and flexible funding to local groups addressing Sudan's humanitarian crisis.
Voluntary contributions and donations are also welcomed.
⚠️ We will provide tea, coffee, and water, so please bring any snack you might need or would like to share. Brixton market is one minute away from the venue, and there will be a 15-minute break in the middle of each session.
⚠️ Please only book a space if you are confident you can attend, as places are limited and designed for an intimate group experience.