Boom.Diwan: Musical Cosmopolitanism from the Arabian Gulf to the Swahili Coast

Kicking off a week-long New York City residency by Kuwaiti music ensemble Boom.Diwan, this panel explores the history and intercultural dynamics of musical cultures in the Arabian Gulf and Africa’s Swahili Coast. Based in mercantile trade and cultural exchange dating back many centuries, the music of the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean have developed uniquely rich and cosmopolitan song forms and styles infrequently explored and heard in the West. The panel discusses their ongoing research on this musical nexus and offers musical demonstrations. Panel Members Ghazi Faisal al-Mulaifi, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, NYUAD Andrew Eisenberg, Program Head and Associate Professor of Music, NYUAD Moderated by Jonathan H. Shannon, Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College and Graduate Center, CUNY; Faculty Director, J-Term Curriculum, Office of Global Education, NYUAD