Adam Wa Mishmish blazes across Expo 2020 Dubai

We were so excited to have been part of Expo 2020 Dubai which “has come up with the key theme – ‘Connecting minds, Creating the Future. ‘ Through this theme, the participating countries aim to develop a sustainable solution for all the problems faced by the world.” During our time there, we were able to spread our love for the Arabic language and Arabic culture in this global event. It was incredible to hear our language echo throughout the space at Expo. At Adam Wa Mishmish we believe that every child should be proud of their Arabic roots no matter where they are and who they are with, because their language, culture and heritage is an invaluable part of who they are, and who they will be. 

52 shows in 6 weeks through the months of December and March. We are so proud of the amazing productions of “Insects i the Garden”, “Around the World”, and “Adam wa Mishmish in Space” at Expo2020 Dubai. So many amazing people were involved in bringing this to life. And we  will follow up with a dedicated thank you to each of them. Two to three performances in a day is no joke, but it’s definitely worth it! Through these performances and plays, we bring the Arabic language to life, making it fun and accessible for our children so they can not only learn it, but love it! Here is what our incredible cast and crew had to say about performing at Expo: 

Rita Akroush – Writer and Director of Insects from the Graden, Adam Wa Mishmish in Space, Around the World with Adam Wa Mishmish

​ “What I love about working with Adam wa Mishmish is that the music and work being done puts children’s education in the center. The work is done with a great deal of compassion and respect to children’s autonomy and intelligence. This is key when creating educational content for children; it is easy to underestimate children’s ability to absorb information and be active agents in the process of learning and play. By working with Adam wa Mishmish as a writer and director I aim to support and enrich this approach with the team. Hasharat Fe al Hadeeqa (Insects from the Garden) tells a simple story of a group of bugs led by Do’soqa (Lady Bug) on a mission to retrieve their supply of heat for the winter by collecting music to convert it to heat using their magical machine. The performance, which premiered at Dubai Expo’s DMA stage, is a mix of theater and a concert making it an interactive performance that directly engages the children through actors and band members on stage while Adam wa Mishmish joins through the animated screen. The journey of creating this show as a team was challenging in different ways but being able to stage high quality content for children in Arabic is also extremely rewarding.”

Yarub Smairat – Violinist playing the role of Farasha in Insects from the Graden

“Working with Adam Wa Mishmish at Expo was unlike any other experience I’ve had in a while. Everything was super organized and extremely professional and I believe this goes to demonstrate Luma AlAdnani’s incredible management. I have traveled around the world and was part of a number of well-known international music festivals. Working with Adam Wa Mishmish, truly felt like working with one of these world renowned music festivals. The team and shows definitely meet international standards in content and work ethics. Performing for children was one of the most wonderful experiences for me. Because I know that children are honest. You know they won’t compliment you to make you feel good about whatever it is you’re doing. If they don’t like something, they’ll just walk away or start crying, but if they do like they’ll dance, laugh, and jump. So to watch all these children dance, sing and smile was a testament to how Adam Wa Mishmish works. The children were interacting fully from the beginning of the show until it ended.  I think the reason behind that is the length of the show. It wasn’t too long or too short. In addition, the story was exciting and interactive. There were so many obstacles that the characters had to overcome, and I think the children were just waiting to see how they help the insects restore warmth for the winter. Its brilliant. 

Lutfi Zayed – Founder and Art Director at Adam Wa Mishmish + Stage Designer of Insects from the Graden, Adam Wa Mishmish in Space, Around the World with Adam Wa Mishmish 

“As a founding member of Adam Wa Mishmish, the most important thing to me was seeing children and parents enjoying the show and interacting with the characters. The direct impact it had on them reminded me of why we started Adam Wa Mishmish and how important it is. It was a dream come true to see our project take on such a huge well-known global event amongst the most popular artists world wide. I cannot wait to see where we go in the future.”

Luma Al Adnani – Founder and CEO of Adam Wa Mishmish + Tour Manager of Insects from the Graden, Adam Wa Mishmish in Space, Around the World with Adam Wa Mishmish 

“When we first started Adam wa Mishmish back in 2016, our goal was simple. Make Arabic fun for children. We’ve discovered there are several ways to do that, and it all stems from the fun songs and characters we’ve created. From that, we’ve created an educational app, and these amazing musical plays. Never in our wildest dreams would we have dreamed of how successful they would be. They’re actually the best part of our job because we get to see children enjoying them live, and we can see the impact of the product we’ve created in real time.”

Lina Al Adnani – COO of Adam Wa Mishmish and Lead singer of Insects from the Graden, Adam Wa Mishmish in Space, Around the World with Adam Wa Mishmish 

“Our musical performances truly encourage children to get off their seats to sing and dance, and interact with our characters. There’s nothing like seeing these young faces light up when we take them on magical adventures. You can almost see them love the Arabic language more and more with every song.”