Afghan rapper and activist Sonita Alizadeh was guest speaker at Queen’s University Belfast on 24 September as part of the Politics of Performance module in partnership with Beyond Skin.

The masterclass was open for people to join virtually.

Sonita Alizadeh escaped child marriage in 2015 when her viral music video, ‘Daughters for Sale’, helped her secure a scholarship to study in the United States. Through her music and advocacy work, Sonita has campaigned for women’s rights and against child marriage, partnering with organizations like the Malala Fund, Global Partnership for Education, and Girls Not Brides. She has received the MTV Europe Music Generation Change Award and the BBC 100 Women award, among many others. Sonita, who learned English upon coming to the U.S., graduated from Bard College in 2023. She is preparing to pursue a master’s degree in politics at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2025.

Politics of Performance: from Negotiation to Display is a partnership between Queen’s University Belfast and Beyond Skin. It’s a 10-week module with special guests.

The main contact is Professor Fiona Magowan, Research Lead, Religion, Arts and Peacebuilding, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics and The Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice

The workshop with Sonita Alizadeh was facilitated by Darren Ferguson of Beyond Skin and by Dr Briony Widdis, an anthropologist and research fellow at Queen’s University Belfast.