Syrian journalist and poet residing now in Toronto. Published a poetry book and writes in many Arabic websites and newspapers. <\/em>Translated by Amani Al-Sheikh<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n 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.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n 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\u00a0 AlQasabj<\/em> and Ninar<\/em><\/span>. And if I talk about Istanbul, I start and conclude with <\/span>Tania<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Sirgi<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Zaza Meyhanesi<\/span><\/i>. 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is what I think of when we\u2019re in <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i>. 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. <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i> 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\u2019ll hear some chants, see some logos, and witness different kind of anti-regime scenes, inviting the system to more equity and justice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Toronto does not lack venues for entertainment — there are so many bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. What makes <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Drom Taberna<\/i>, 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i> is an Eastern European bar. Specifically, it reflects the culture of the Roma.<\/span>\u00a0The 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 <\/span>is a \u201cheartfelt 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.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The exceptionality of the music shows in <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i>, is in how these shows present different music genres than what\u2019s common in the city. Most of them present traditional rock or country music. <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i> 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\u2019re 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat’s important for <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i> while choosing the musicians is the diversity of the musical genres they have, their high spirits, and the positive vibe they have,\u201d says Tangi Leon, program coordinator at <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i>. \u201cWe want everyone to be on the same page. From cooks, musicians, to customers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is no place for arrogance, ego, and discrimination,\u201d he continues, \u201cWe work in <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i> to create a space for connecting and meeting, where visitors can feel comfortable in <\/span>Drom.<\/span><\/i> To be the warm spot in the city, where people recharge and return to life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019s price. \u201cWe want to offer music for everyone, not only wealthy people,\u201d he says. This is the political and cultural concepts this place was founded on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tangi invites <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i> visitors to support artists, because they have been through tough times during the pandemic. They need both mental and financial support. He says: \u201cI think it\u2019s very important to support small businesses and all artists, not only <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i>. 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Misha is one of <\/span>Drom Taberna<\/span><\/i> co-founders. Many know him because of his glorious speeches that he gives to the audience in <\/span>Drom<\/span><\/i>. 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDrunk Eyes Glowing in the Darkness!\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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