A new voice on nature and belonging, writer and artist Dalia Al-Dujaili delves into the layered ties between land, myth and identity.
‘Whoever said nature is still has never watched the seasons migrate.’
A lyrical and vivid new work, Babylon Albion offers a poetic reflection on belonging – not only to a place or a people, but to the stories that bind them together.
Drawing from Arab and Islamic mythology alongside English folklore and the Christian pastoral tradition, Al-Dujaili moves between the real and the mythical – from date palms to oak trees, from Lamassu to unicorns – inviting us to rethink how we connect with place and with the living world around us.
It is, in many ways, a love letter – to Britain, to Iraq and to the earth we all share. It gestures towards a different kind of nativeness: one shaped by layers, by openness, and by the restless hum of history, myth, and movement.
Dalia Al-Dujaili is an Iraqi-British writer, editor and producer based in London. She is the online editor of The British Journal of Photography. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Dazed, GQ and more. She is the founder of The Road to Nowhere Magazine and in 2023 she was the Producer of Refugee Week. She holds an MA Hons in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Saqi Books is a leading independent publishing house of trade and academic books on the Middle East and North Africa. Founded in London in 1983, but with its roots in Lebanon, Saqi’s publishing programme has led to a rigorous reassessment of Arab cultural heritage. Saqi has been at the forefront of establishing Middle Eastern culture in the UK and beyond for more than four decades.
Saqi’s publishing – encompassing art, photography and cookery books, language, literature and philosophy, history and current affairs and much more – is recognised all over the world. They offer an independent platform for writers and artists from all places and cultures. Their authors have attained international prominence not only for the quality of their prose, but for their authoritative and innovative contributions to public debate.
Saqi was awarded the British Book Industry Award for Diversity in Literature, the IPG Diversity Award and the Arab British Culture and Society award.
Tickets: £10 +£3.50 booking fee. Concessions 25%.
BOOK HERE.
In partnership with Southbank Centre and Saqi Books. Part of Refugee Week 2025.
Details
Location
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX
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