Why Do We Love Drom Taberna?
It's our second home
Mosab Alnomairy
Syrian journalist and poet residing now in Toronto. Published a poetry book and writes in many Arabic websites and newspapers. Translated by Amani Al-Sheikh
In 2019, I arrived in Canada as a Syrian refugee. I was a refugee in Turkey for five years and was in Dubai for four years before that. I lived in Syria for the first 20 years of my life. Like many Syrian refugees, I spent the past 10 years wandering from one country to another, searching for a relatively safe life. In every country I had temporarily settled in before Canada, there were moments of stress, anxiety, and nervousness. There were also other moments of joy and craziness we were able to create, despite the existential anxiety in those places, caused by the vagueness of the future.
There is a connection between all the joyful moments in the past. Those moments that flash back every time one closes their eyes. The most critical condition to create these moments is a place that is capable of gathering people after a long day at work. Most places that were immortalized in our memory are the places where we used to raise our toasts, sing and be loud after midnight, and return home reeling. If I talk about Damascus I find myself talking about AlQasabj and Ninar. And if I talk about Istanbul, I start and conclude with Tania, Sirgi, and Zaza Meyhanesi. Nightlife is most present in the memory of the mentioned cities. I can say that the cities in which an anxious person passes along the road, they shrink in the memory of that person to a bar, a restaurant, or a crowded house with intoxicated people.
This is what I think of when we’re in Drom Taberna. The bar that we spend most of our weekend times at in Toronto. It is also becoming one of the landmarks in the city despite the recency of its establishment. Drom Taberna is located at the intersection of Queen West and Augusta, to the south of the vivacious Kensington Market. Augusta connects Queen and College, south to north. Street artists and singers are active there. Restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are always full of working class people. There, you can observe a different face of the city. Toronto is one of the most capitalist and rich cities of the world, but there, if you pass through the street, you’ll hear some chants, see some logos, and witness different kind of anti-regime scenes, inviting the system to more equity and justice.
Toronto does not lack venues for entertainment — there are so many bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. What makes Drom Taberna special is that it is one of the few places where a regular person will feel comfort and familiarity. The city that has the biggest chunk of Canadian economy, is capable of generating so many fake smiles and false kindnesses. It is a capitalist city that promotes the liberal concepts of justice, equity, and inclusion, but the rich white man dominates it from behind the scene. A city that is obsessed with benefits, where one is measured by what they own.
In Drom Taberna, these ruling concepts of the city shake and fall apart before the real diverse visitor of the place. This diversity is not fake or pretentious, there is no dominant culture in the scene. You will find the can collector and the Chrysler-owner dance together to the beats.
Drom Taberna is an Eastern European bar. Specifically, it reflects the culture of the Roma. The bar hosts events and live shows for artists from all different races and cultures; from East Europe, to the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. The bar staff and owners say that it is a “heartfelt homage to places that we came from, have traveled to, or have never been – the lands that stretch from the Baltic to the Balkans to the Black Sea… That is us, finding community amongst strangers, joy in the face of adversity, immigrant souls eating, drinking, and playing music together.”
The exceptionality of the music shows in Drom, is in how these shows present different music genres than what’s common in the city. Most of them present traditional rock or country music. Drom Taberna tries to reflect the richness of humanity’s experience, that is collectively passionate about music and joy, through these connections between musical cultures. In a place that pushes its inhabitants to greed because of the expenses and living requirements. If you’re pushed by the cold city to embitterment towards your own immigration, this corner offers you familiarity, spontaneousness, and warmth. It is a flame of revolution against the roughness of the northern cities where everything is serious, and everyone is heavy with papers, appointments, deadlines, and emails ending with a best regards after placing blame.
“What’s important for Drom while choosing the musicians is the diversity of the musical genres they have, their high spirits, and the positive vibe they have,” says Tangi Leon, program coordinator at Drom. “We want everyone to be on the same page. From cooks, musicians, to customers.”
“There is no place for arrogance, ego, and discrimination,” he continues, “We work in Drom to create a space for connecting and meeting, where visitors can feel comfortable in Drom. To be the warm spot in the city, where people recharge and return to life.”
The bar management refused to host musical events indoors, because that would force them to apply a reservation system, according to limited seats. Tangi says the decision was based on the idea of not offering music only for those who can pay the ticket’s price. “We want to offer music for everyone, not only wealthy people,” he says. This is the political and cultural concepts this place was founded on.
Tangi invites Drom visitors to support artists, because they have been through tough times during the pandemic. They need both mental and financial support. He says: “I think it’s very important to support small businesses and all artists, not only Drom Taberna. We are a part of this society which is going through a financial, social, and mental crisis. We need the support of each other to heal and continue the journey.”
Drunk Eyes Glowing in the Darkness!
Misha is one of Drom Taberna co-founders. Many know him because of his glorious speeches that he gives to the audience in Drom. He recharges them when he jumps on a chair in the midst of the drunk crowd. Like Alexander the Great, Misha gives them a historic speech about the importance of supporting the artists who are playing tonight, announcing free vodka shots to those whose eyes are sparkling with romance.
Misha told Henna, “Drom Taberna was not founded in a night and a day. It was a result of several activities and parties, which led to the establishment in the end.” One of the co-founders used to travel a lot to East Europe, and he was there at the moment the Berlin Wall came down. He witnessed the change in the people’s cultures and the desire for liberty, and he tried to transfer that to Canada. In addition to all of that, there was a desire to create a place with a special and unique identity, where people can be themselves and have an exceptional time than what is common.
Misha thinks that lots of people would see that money is the main goal and value of any commercial project. Things are not like that for Drom’s staff. The real value is the ability to gather people and create beautiful moments. It is through pushing them to be themselves in this capitalist city of commerce. The city that is capable of sucking the joy out of you. “We don’t want more than being able to pay our bills and provide for enough food, and celebrate life like animals. No one has any intention of having fancy apartments or cars.”
The pandemic was rough on all small businesses. Many small businesses were forced to close or barely survived through the restrictions. Drom Taberna was able to fight and continue. They closed the indoors area where they used to receive customers and started a delivery service to the clients. When summer came back, the bar restarted live events outdoors on the sidewalk after the city allowed it. Three waves of the pandemic were too much to handle in such a cold place like Toronto, where there can’t be any outdoor activity. The smiles returned to the faces of Drom staff after the return of people and the fulness of the sidewalks. First come, first served. That’s the new rule in the place. Queen West and Augusta, that’s the address.
