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The Gilded Serpent presents...

Zaina

Finland and Beyond!

Zaina Brown is the creator of World Of Dancers, an online community of art lovers, and the author of upcoming travel memoir "Fire In The Belly". She's a professional bellydancer, relentless traveler, writer, and filmmaker. Zaina's documentary "Traveling Bellydancer in India" (2015) is the winner of the Canadian ACCOLADE AWARD. She is currently based in Hua Hin, Thailand.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Articles on Gilded Serpent by Zaina

  • Harem Girls, Our Very Own Non-Arab Talent Show
    He gave Abdulrahman a copy of Nightclub Managing for Dummies, but the poor thing couldn’t read. With a helpful picture book, he finally learned the basic principle: Keep business and personal entertainment separate.
  • Cairo to Khartoum, Overland Follow the Nile and You Shall Bellydance!
    Africa is my big travel love, and I’m always happy to get some Sahara between my toes, but Sudan was never on my to do list of countries. I knew getting the visa was difficult, which is not surprising for a country with a wanted war criminal for president. Slap the merciless climate on top of that, and Sudan was something of a blank space on my mental map of Africa. Then, a good friend of mine announced he was setting up camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum for a few months for his new UN gig. It was now or never for me and Sudan.
  • A Journey to the West Bank, A Lone Dancer Visits Palestine
    The refugee children were dressed in sweatpants and T-shirts, like school kids anywhere in the world. The coach was in a tracksuit, and his stern voice echoed over the young crowd. It could easily have been a basketball game, or perhaps a rehearsal for a play, that was about to begin in this gymnastics hall. But this was a dance rehearsal
  • Touching the Clouds: Impossible Bridge in Yemen
    I needed a place where I felt safe, had some friends, and knew my way around: a place like Yemen! Besides, there was a bridge there that I wanted to check out.
  • What Lies Beneath, Part 1, The Morocco & Western Sahara Tourists Don’t See
    When you say you are going to travel around in Morocco, usually, the response you get can be summarized with one word: "Marrakech". Sure, Marrakech might be the "best of Morocco", but it also wasn’t going anywhere.Some other places, however, may not always remain as accessible, and I had a few questions on my mind.
  • What Lies Beneath Part 2, The Morocco Tourists Don't See, Suspicion, Lifestyle, Wedding, & Rescue
    What’s depressing about Laayoune is the idea of it: what it represents, not the city itself. Buildings, painted in salmon color like Marrakech, palm trees planted in pretty town squares, clean streets, restaurants and cafes, busy market places and a gorgeous plaza where people stroll at night. If you didn’t know any better, you would love this place! In reality, you are inside an enormous military base, while the city is a mere facade.
  • Changes in the Island Kingdom, The Bahrain Bellydance Scene
    Returning to Bahrain to work after four years felt like going back to my roots. This little island kingdom is where I did my first Middle East contract, busted my bra on New Year’s Eve, and returned several times in the following year. Those were the days. Now it had been a while. Had Bahrain changed? You betcha.
  • Cairo to Khartoum, Overland Follow the Nile and You Shall Bellydance!
    Africa is my big travel love, and I’m always happy to get some Sahara between my toes, but Sudan was never on my to do list of countries. I knew getting the visa was difficult, which is not surprising for a country with a wanted war criminal for president. Slap the merciless climate on top of that, and Sudan was something of a blank space on my mental map of Africa. Then, a good friend of mine announced he was setting up camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum for a few months for his new UN gig. It was now or never for me and Sudan.