Jaha’s Caretakers

Production

Mama Ganuush (they/them)

Mama Ganuush is a trans Palestinian performance artist, filmmaker, organizer, and activist whose work is a potent and unflinching expression of Palestinian futurism. Based between San Francisco and Lisbon, their performances are a powerful synthesis of Palestinian folk art and music, the elegance of Egyptian golden-era dance, and the raw, spontaneous energy of clown and theater.

They use their platform to manifest a future where Palestine is free, presenting Palestinians not as subjects of tragedy but as architects of freedom. Mama Ganuush is the founder of the Heritage Activists and Liberation Artists (HALA) Collective, a radically queer collaboration of artists dedicated to the liberation of Palestine and all people fighting colonialism. Through productions like PinkWash, Cabaret Palestina and Salon Hala, they curate explicitly anti-Zionist spaces where art and community fortify one another. Mama Ganuush is the founder of the JAHA Film Festival, an international festival showcasing trans, nonbinary, and intersex stories from the Global South, and the JAHA Gender and Trans School, which provides free education on trans identity. Through their podcast, AIPAC Zombies, produced in partnership with Toshio Meronek, they wield sharp political satire to critique power structures.

Hannah (they/them)

Hannah is a nonbinary artist based in Lisbon. They manage their time between producing events, directing projects and plotting against the colonial Empire. Throughout the years they have explored film festivals and taken part in organizing them. As a multifaceted octopus, their tentacles are delicate and punchy, musical and crafty. Currently studying to be an art therapist they believe in the healing power of radical self acceptance and exploration through the arts. In their spare time they co create the ceramic project Glitter na Crica, transfeminist, radical and genital sculptures that question and embellish the spaces they are brought into.

Free Palestine and abolish the police. Gleaning and dreaming. Thinking and fighting for a world where we can all be gentle, loud and fierce.

Programming

Zara Ahmed (they/them)

Zara is a trans and non-binary Pakistani Muslim programmer, storyteller, and creative consultant with leadership experience spanning documentary filmmaking, youth media, public education, nonprofit administration, event production, and small business operations. They are passionate about amplifying ancestral wisdom through storytelling, healing spaces, and performance.

Kholoud N (they/them)

Curriculum Development

Eric A. Stanley (they/them)

Haas Distinguished Chair in LGBT Equity and Associate Professor at UC Berkeley

Dr. Stanley is one of the most influential scholars in trans studies, queer theory, and radical activism. They hold the Haas Distinguished Chair in LGBT Equity at UC Berkeley and are affiliated with the Program in Critical Theory.

Their groundbreaking book, Atmospheres of Violence: Structuring Antagonism and the Trans/Queer Ungovernable (Duke, 2021), won the Sylvia Rivera Award in Transgender Studies. They have also co-edited two seminal anthologies:

• Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility (MIT Press, 2017)

• Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex (AK Press, 2011/15)

Eric advises on academic engagement and trans scholarship, ensuring JAHA bridges film, activism, and intellectual discourse.

Advisors

Vic Hogg (they/them)

A citizen of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and an Indigenous environmental policy leader

Vic holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor’s from Yale University. They are a Senior FPIC Coordinator at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), leading Indigenous-led environmental policy initiatives.

At NWF, Vic:

• Partners with Tribes east of the Mississippi

• Leads multiple coalitions to center Indigenous voices in climate justice

Beyond environmental work, Vic is a LGBTQ+ and survivor justice advocate, having co-led the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy, which authored federal recommendations on LGBTQ+ youth trafficking prevention. They also founded a support network for LGBTQ+ Christians, creating safe and affirming spaces. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Vic is deeply involved in queer advocacy, policy change, and community organizing.

Gustavo Gustrava (they/them)

Gustrava is a Brazilian queer chameleon living in Lisbon who uses any pronouns and thrives as a hybrid communication professional. With twelve years of diverse experience, they have worked across multiple fronts including concept and strategy for communication projects and campaigns, creative writing/copywriting, and creative direction. Their expertise extends to consultancy in cultural diversity and social impact projects, branding consultancy, screenwriting, film direction, editorial/PR work, and developing educational programs on strategic communication for content creators. Additionally, Gustrava brings creative direction and production skills to the realm of events.

Gustrava is also deeply engaged as an LGBTQIA+ and human rights activist, holding a Master's in Anthropology focused on the body, queer activism, art, and intersectionality, and constantly weaves connections between these spheres. They are the co-founder and CEO of Pajubá, Diversidade em Rede, a consultancy that views innovation through the lenses of cultural diversity and social impact. Through this role and others, Gustrava has led projects, campaigns, classes, workshops, debates, and lectures for a vast array of clients spanning arts and culture, the creative industry, social organizations, the third sector, and basic industry. Furthermore, they are a co-founder and member of the São Paulo-based artivist collective A Revolta da Lâmpada. Gustrava embodies a dynamic, multi-layered career with many purposeful endeavors flourishing simultaneously.

TEN:TACLES

Grant Provider for Jaha Trans Liberation School: A national initiative centering on advancing trans and nonbinary scholarship is underway, and its roots are in San Francisco. Titled "TEN:TACLES,"Transgender Educational Network, colon, Theory in Action for Creativity, Liberation, Empowerment and Service, it's the brainchild of Susan Stryker, Ph.D., trans studies scholar, author, historian, and city resident.

HALA

Organizer: ‘Heritage Activists and Liberation Artists’; a trans centered collective dedicated to decolonizing art and centering the voices of activist artists, particularly queer, Indigenous, Global South, and Palestinian creators. By fostering joy, resistance, and cultural education, we aim to dismantle colonial narratives and build long-term community resilience and sustainability. For more information visit www.thehalacollective.com