Arab-American art platform Mizna is working in collaboration with the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to publish a special print honouring the life of Sarah Hegazy.
Hegazy is better remembered as an Egyptian socialist, writer and activist who was arrested and tortured in her own native Egypt for over three months after flying a rainbow flag at a Mashrou’ Leila concert back in 2017 in the capital city of Cairo. The young woman tragically passed away in the early summer of 2020 in Toronto Canada, where it was confirmed that her death was the result of a suicide.
We're thrilled to present this zine with @aaww honoring Sarah Hegazy's life. Edited by Mariam Bazeed + @IntifadaBatata, illustrated by Haitham Haddad/Studio Mnjnk, and designed by Wael Morcos/Morcos Key, who also did incredible typography. Get yours rn https://t.co/8tBt6CBJyn https://t.co/9lVL7ABjEN
— Mizna (@Mizna_ArabArt) November 2, 2021
A short letter written by Sarah herself in Arabic travelled through social media shortly after her death shedding light as to why she decided to put a sudden end to her life. The letter read: “To my siblings – I tried to survive and I failed, forgive me. To my friends – the experience was harsh and I am too weak to resist it, forgive me. To the world – you were cruel to a great extent, but I forgive.”
Reported across most international news outlets with tributes to her activism becoming a recurring theme, Mizna is making its own contribution through this dedicated editorial. Titled “I Want Sky”, the short notebook will be a collection of writings all aiming at honouring Sarah Hegazy’s one irreplaceable life, and the lives of all LGBTQ+ Arabs and people of the SWANA region and its diaspora.
Already online and available for sale, you can order your own copy here: mizna.org
