Join Duke Performances, Duke Islamic Studies Center, and the Center for Muslim Life for a conversation between musician, actor and performer Dua Saleh, Treniyyah Anderson ‘20, and the Center for Muslim Life’s Maryam Arain.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021
12-1 PM ET
Zoom (Link)
Free and open to the public

Minneapolis-based vocalist, spoken-word poet, and actor Dua Saleh began recording music only two years ago, garnering immediate acclaim with the release of 2019’s Nūr — meaning “the light” in Arabic. Saleh (who identifies as gender non-binary and uses they/them pronouns) followed the next year with Rosetta: a genre-bending EP whose title pays homage to pioneering rock guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, blending warm vocals with raw hip-hop passages and haunting, otherworldly electronics. For Saleh — a Sudanese native, who fled the country with their family as a child to escape civil war — these musical excursions reflect a life spent working across different kinds of divisions: borders, media, identities, and protest lines.

Treniyyah Anderson (she/her) is a queer, Black Muslim Duke alumna who was born and raised in Philadelphia. Her upbringing inspired most of her passions which include activism, public health, food, music and education. Treniyyah spent the last year in Anchorage, Alaska with her partner, working as a preschool teacher and online tutor for high school students. Currently, Treniyyah resides in D.C. working as a public health educator and program coordinator for The Grassroot Project.

Maryam Arain (she/they) works at the Center for Muslim Life where she seeks to empower students, inspire community, and enhance solidarity among marginalized students through programming, political education, and direct student support. In their free time, they read voraciously, make art influenced by their South Asian ancestry, and support abolitionist movement-building in Durham.