NO VISAS Hip-Hop Performance at Foundry Theater
Cross-cultural hip-hop collective System Ali performs remotely with Ohio artists at Yellow Springs Foundry Theater on November 22.
The Foundry Theater will host 'NO VISAS: A Hip-Hop Journey from Jaffa to Jerusalem to Yellow Springs,' a hybrid performance event on Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m. This unique production celebrates artistic collaboration across borders and defies visa denials that prevented international artists from performing.
The event features System Ali co-founders Neta Weiner and Samira Saraya performing remotely via virtual connection, alongside local Ohio hip-hop artists JaySwifa, Tronee Threat, and ArtGod performing live. The production blends film, narration, remote performance and live sets to create an immersive experience.
System Ali, formed in the mid-aughts in Jaffa, Palestine/Israel, emerged from a bomb shelter cultural center dedicated to artistic creation born from dialogue between different narratives, languages and ideas. The ensemble fuses hip-hop with diverse musical elements including Russian songs, Arab classical music, jazz, klezmer, and languages spanning Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English, Yiddish and Amharic.
When Weiner and Saraya planned to visit Ohio in August 2024, they were not issued U.S. visas despite months of preparation. Rather than cancel, organizers and collaborators worked across three countries and three time zones to create this hybrid event that acknowledges and defies the attempted barrier.
The performance includes a post-show Q&A with Weiner and Saraya. This event represents a rare cultural exchange demonstrating solidarity against barriers to artistic collaboration and cross-cultural dialogue.