On the fourth night of Habibi Festival 2025, Sudanese artist Mai Elgizouli takes the stage with a dynamic, deeply emotional first "serious" show in New York performing a set of acoustic songs that explore themes of sadness, power, and hope, including a deeply personal tribute to her late brother and the strong women of Sudan. She follows with a nuanced and candid conversation with afikra Quarertones, joined by celebrated Sudanese musician Alsarah. They discuss their long-standing friendship and artistic collaboration and delve into May’s journey from visual artist to musician, the unexpected amount of work required for a professional set, and the immense privilege of having a family that provides a space for emotional and artistic expression in a place like Sudan. They also reflect on how being in New York and witnessing the current war has impacted Mai’s work, concluding with a powerful message for the audience: to simply feel their feelings. Palestinian musician Rasha Nahas also takes the stage for a second night in this year's festival.

0:00 Mai Elgizouli Performs a Tribute to Her Brother: "Ba'eed 'an Al Ahzan" (Far From Sorrows)

4:40 Performing "Ramadi" (Gray)

10:47 Mai Introduces Her Band & Performs "Al Gawiyya": a Song for Strong Women & the Sudanese Revolution

17:20 Performing "Bi Darbi Ma Bamshi" (Never Down That Path Again) 

23:34 Performing "Shabah" (Ghost)

29:32 Performing "Al Furaq": the First Song She Wrote

37:06 Rasha Nahas Takes the Stage for a Second Night

43:57 Rasha Nahas Introduces the Band & Performs "Desert" From Her First Album

50:09 Rasha Nahas Performs "The Clown"

56:46 Rasha Nahas Performs "Nbeed" (Wine)

1:02:24 Rasha Nahas Performs an Unreleased New Song "Khalas" From an Album Which Will be Out Next Year

1:07:13 Rasha Nahas Performs Her Latest Single "Ghanneeli" (A Song Written During the Genocide in Gaza)

1:14:00 Rasha Nahas Performs Another Unreleased Song: "Once Upon a Time in Palestine"

1:24:20 afikra Quartertones Invites Mai Elgizouli and Special Guest Alsarah on Stage

1:26:05 Alsarah’s Obsession and Mai’s Artistic Mastery

1:29:13 Mai’s First "Serious Show" in New York

1:30:58 Family Support & Surviving Trauma in Sudan

1:33:36 Art, Critique & Dealing With War While in New York

1:37:37 The Message: Feel Your Feelings

Mai Elgizouli is an award-winning film director and multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Omdurman, Khartoum in a family of artists. Her music carries the tenderness of Sudanese Arabic and the nostalgic pulse of Sudan's 1980s sound.

Connect with Mai Elgizouli 👉 https://instagram.com/mai_egizouli

Hosted by Suzanne Gaber 👉 

https://instagram.com/suzannegaber

FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK 
Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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