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Dalia stands in front of green grass, a tree and a lake in a brown jacket, black scarf and her hair is swept to one side by the wind.
View all events for category: Literature & poetry

Babylon, Albion

A new voice on nature and belonging, writer Dalia Al-Dujaili delves into the layered ties between land, myth and identity.

Part of Refugee Week
More details for Purcell Room
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Speaking on her new book, Babylon, Albion, Al-Dujaili appears in conversation with photographer Zaineb Abelque and footballer and gardener Tayshan Hayden-Smith, chaired by Ismail Einashe.

Babylon, Albion: A Personal History of Myth and Migration offers a poetic reflection on belonging – not only to a place or a people, but to the stories that bind them together.

Drawing from Arab mythology and Islamic tradition alongside English folklore and the Christian pastoral tradition, Al-Dujaili moves between the real and the mythical – from date palms to oak trees, from Lamassu to unicorns – inviting us to rethink how we connect with place and with the living world around us.

It is, in many ways, a love letter – to Britain, to Iraq and to the earth we all share. It gestures towards a different kind of nativeness: one shaped by layers, by openness and by the restless hum of history, myth and movement.

Dalia Al-Dujaili is a British-born Iraqi writer, editor and producer. She is the online editor of The British Journal of Photography. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Dazed, GQ and more. She is the founder of The Road to Nowhere Magazine and in 2023 she was the Producer of Refugee Week.

Zaineb Abelque is a Moroccan British photographer. She is the co-founder of Athene Club and her work has been featured in Nowness, Atmos and The Gentlewoman. Her work explores community, faith and identity, often reflecting her experiences as a Muslim woman and child of the diaspora.

Ismail Einashe is a journalist and writer. He is the author of Strangers (2023) and co-edited Lost in Media: Migrant Perspectives and the Public Sphere (2019). Einashe is on the editorial board of Tate Etc., the Tate’s magazine. He is part of Lost in Europe, a journalism collaborative which investigates the disappearance of child migrants.

Saqi Books is an independent publishing house of trade and academic books on the Middle East and North Africa. Founded in London in 1983, but with its roots in Lebanon, its publishing programme – encompassing art, photography and cookery books, language, literature and philosophy, history and current affairs – has led to a rigorous reassessment of Arab cultural heritage.

In partnership with Counterpoints Arts and Saqi Books. Part of Refugee Week 2025.

Need to know

Age guidance
For ages 12+. Under-12s must be accompanied by an adult on our site.

For your visit

This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre

The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.

Concrete interior of Purcell Room entrance at Southbank Centre View larger image

Plan your visit

The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Getting here

Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.

The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues.  More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.

We’re cash-free

Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.

Access

We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.

All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.

All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.

Food & drink

From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.

Places to eat and drink whilst you’re here

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More info for Refugee Week
British-American woman wearing an orange top and a big blue ring

Refugee Week

Thu 25 – Sun 28 Jun 2026
Music, talks, film and public programming centred on this year's theme of 'courage'