Voices from Palestine

Considered by many to be Palestine’s National Poet, the work we’ve selected is I Have a Seat in the Abandoned Theater.

Read ‘I Have a Seat in the Abandoned Theater’

English translation by Fady Joudah

From abstract portraits to expressive pieces and Pop Art, Mohammed Alhaj is a visual artist who has continued to make work in Gaza while the strip has been under attack.

The two paintings we’ve selected are Displacement and bird.

View more of Mohammed’s work

Founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said, the orchestra aims to promote equality, harmony and understanding between musicians, against the backdrop of conflict.

Listen to Beethoven – Symphony No. 9

Born in 2018 from the vision of young circus acrobats and activists in Gaza, this group aims to spread circus culture through lessons and workshops, weaving joy, hope and happiness, and creating a safe space for young people to thrive.

Find out more about Free Gaza Circus Center

Images from Free Gaza Circus Center Facebook page.

Poet and short-story writer, Taha Muhammad Ali’s writing intricately weaves together the personal and political.

We have selected the poem, Revenge.

Read ‘Revenge’

Revenge by Taha Muhammad Ali is from the Collection, Hymns & Qualms: New and Selected Poems and Translations, by Peter Cole.

Actor, playwright and director, Amer Hlehel is a co-founder of several independent initiatives in Palestine, including The Freedom Theatre. Amer wrote the one-person play, Taha based on the life of Taha Muhammad Ali which played at the Young Vic in 2017 as part of Shubbak Festival.

The play was published in Hebrew in 2023 as part of The Maktoob مكتوب series by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. The series spotlights contemporary Arabic literature and is the only project in Israel today that translates works of Arabic culture and literature into Hebrew.

The project is the initiative of translators and scholars of Arabic headed by the late author Salman Natur and Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani.

Find out more about Amer Hlehel

Find out more about The Maktoob مكتوب series

Taha by Amer Hlehel (2023) is published by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and Dar Layla publishing and translation.

Artist Nidaa Badwan crafted a photographic series, ‘100 Days of Solitude’ within the confines of her 100-square-foot room in Gaza. From 2013 over 20 months, she transformed her space into a sanctuary and studio, creating drawings, textiles and vibrant self-portraits. Despite her isolation, Badwan found community through social media, sharing her quietly defiant images with the world. 

The two photographs we have selected are ‘100 Days of Solitude; Code 4’ and ‘100 Days of Solitude; Code 21’.

Find out more about 100 Days of Solitude

British-Palestinian writer and researcher N.S. Nuseibeh’s collection of essays, Namesake: Reflections on A Warrior Woman blend history, personal essay and cultural criticism in a search to understand her ancestor and namesake, the legendary Nusayba Bint Ka’ab al Khazrajiah, the warrior woman of 7th century Arabia. Nuseibeh wrote the essays to explore what it means to be a young secular Muslim woman today.

Find out more about Namesake: Reflections on A Warrior Woman

Over two episodes, DJ David Holmes presents a mix of cinematic, rock ‘n’ roll, experimental and independent music, alongside speeches, poems and essays reflecting on the history of Palestine and Gaza and the impact of conflict in the region – including John Berger, long-time collaborator and friend of Complicité, reading Ghassan Kanafani’s ‘Letter from Gaza’.

Find out more and listen to the episodes

Palestinian artist and lecturer Maisara Baroud delves into the concept he labels the black-and-white dichotomy in his artistic endeavors. Through this framework, he sheds light on global human suffering with a specific focus on Palestine. Maisara’s artistic portfolio explores humanitarian concerns; encompassing subjects like warfare, migration, political imprisonment, unlawful detentions and the realities of occupation.

The two artworks we have selected are ‘Tight Space No.37,’ (2019) and ‘I’m still alive,’ (2024)

View more of Maisara’s work

British-Palestinian author Isabella Hammad’s novel,  Enter Ghost recounts an actor’s return to Palestine and their involvement in a local production of Hamlet. The story portrays contemporary Palestine, delving into themes of diaspora, displacement and the unbreakable bonds of family and collective resistance.

Find out more about Isabella Hammed

Palestinian poet, short story writer and essayist, Mosab Abu Toha is the founder of the Edward Said Library and is a former visiting poet and librarian-in-residence at Harvard University. His work amplifies Palestinian voices and fosters cross-cultural understanding and empathy. 

His debut book of poetry, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear won the Palestine Book Award and an American Book Award.

Read ‘What is Home?’ from this collection

Palestinian writer Sheikha Helawy short story collection, They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories, translated by Nancy Roberts, depicts the complexities of life on the margins. From the poignant heartbreak of jealousy to the love for football that fills the heart of an elderly woman, each narrative celebrates the resilience, tragedies, and triumphs of Bedouin Palestinian women and girls.

Find out more about the short story collection.

Mouna is a half-Palestinian, half-Indian artist based in London. She created the Etsy shop, ‘MounaksPrints: Art for Liberation: Posters and Prints for Palestine’ to share her artwork, much of which is inspired by her love of Palestine and her Palestinian heritage. 100% of all profits are donated to charities such as MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) and UNWRA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).

She says: “I created this shop to help raise funds for humanitarian organisations working on the ground in Palestine. Whilst this initiative was born out of feelings of hopelessness and despair, this shop has since become an outlet for me to express my love for Palestine, and a way for me to connect with others who are inspired by and devoted to this cause.”

The print we have chosen is ‘Majorana Syriaca, Palestinian Thyme (Za‘atar)’.

MounaksPrints Etsy Shop

@mks_prints Instagram 

Fireworks (Al ab Nariya) by Dalia Taha, translated into English by Clem Naylor, follows two families living in an abandoned building in a Palestinian town. Despite efforts to shield them, the children, Lubna and Khalil, are deeply impacted by the surrounding violence. Taha shows that in times of crisis, both children and adults struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy. 

The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London on February 12 2015 as part of the International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project.

Find out more about the play

From sculpture to film and installation art and photography, Larissa Sansour’s interdisciplinary work merges current political dialogue with elements from film and pop culture. Through these different mediums, she crafts intricate narratives that challenge  international commentary on Palestine and the Middle East. 

The video work we have selected is, As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night (2022). Palestinian soprano, Nour Darwish performs a new aria composed by Anthony Sahyoun, blending Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and the Palestinian traditional song, Mashaal in an opera filmed in a derelict chapel.

Find out more about Larissa and watch ‘As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night’

This Palestinian theatre promotes creativity and change through training, performance and outreach to marginalised communities. This year, Mandala Theatre Company is hosting an international youth theatre festival in Oxford and are raising funds to bring ASHTAR to the festival in the UK.

Find out more about ASHTAR Theatre

Find out more about Mandala’s crowdfunding campaign

Images from ASHTAR Theatre website.

Riham is a Palestinian multi-disciplinary artist who explores themes of gender, politics, and resistance, challenging perceptions and prompting meaningful dialogue. They’re driven by how to perform land in times of crisis, exploring its intersection with performance to deepen understanding of land injustices. 

The project we have selected is ‘A Stone on Road – A Happening’.

Find out more Riham Isaac’s work here.

Image from Riham Isaac’s website.

Jumana Manna is a Palestinian visual artist and filmmaker who explores how power is articulated through the body, land and materiality, focusing on colonial inheritances and histories of place. Raised in Jerusalem and now based in Berlin, she delves into the paradoxes of preservation practices in architecture, agriculture and law, highlighting the tension between modernist traditions and the unruliness of ruination and regeneration.

The work we have selected is Sketch and Bread.  

Find out more here.

Ismail Khalidi is a Palestinian/Lebanese American writer, director and actor whose work explores the history of Palestine, the modern Middle East, race, colonialism, displacement and war. 

We have selected the play Returning to Haifa, adapted from the novella by Ghassan Kanafani.

Find out more about Ismail here.

May Elias Ziadeh (1886-1941) was a Lebanese-Palestinian poet, essayist, and translator who wrote in both Arabic and French.

Find out more about May Elias Ziadeh here.

Malak is a painter, illustrator and author from the Gaza Strip. From a family of talented cultural practitioners, Malak started making art as a teenager during a period of open conflict, and she soon began to sell work online and exhibit internationally. 

We have selected the painting, ‘When the World Sleeps’ (2020).

Find out more about Malak:

Visit her website

Visit her Etsy store

A finalist for the US National Book Award 2023 for Nonfiction, this memoir by Raja Shehadeh explores the complex relationship with his father, Aziz Shehadeh, a lawyer and activist. The narrative intertwines personal and historical struggles, highlighting their differing approaches to Palestinian human rights and the profound impact of Aziz’s murder in 1985.

Find out more here. 

Buy the memoir here. 

We have selected We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh.

Nabil Anani, born in 1943 in Latroun, Palestine, is a key founder of the contemporary Palestinian art movement and a multi-talented artist known for his innovative use of local media. His works have been exhibited globally and are housed in prestigious collections, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art.

We have selected the painting, Olive Groves #7 (2020)

Find out more here. 

Emile Habibi was born in Haifa, and was a leading Palestinian writer and politician. Inspired by Arab heritage and folktales, his 1974 novel ‘The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist’ is frequently listed among the greatest Arab novels ever written and has been translated into numerous languages. 

Find out more here.

Karimeh Abbud (1983-1940) was born in Bethlehem and was a pioneering photographer and the first woman to practise photography in Palestine.

Renowned for her vibrant, hand-coloured prints, she opened photography studios in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Haifa and Jaffa, capturing the daily lives of Palestinian women in traditional dress.

We have selected the photographs ‘Acrobat’ and ‘A Palestinian Family Celebrating Christmas’

See more of Karimeh’s photographs here.

Mona Hatoum is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. In the 1980s, she began creating installations and sculptures using various materials, often employing grids or geometric forms to reference societal control. Her work challenges surrealism and minimalism, exploring the conflicts and contradictions of our world. 

We have selected the installation ‘Light Sentence’

Find out more about Mona here.

Liana Badr is a Palestinian novelist, short-story writer, journalist and poet. Since her debut novel ‘A Compass for the Sunflower’ in 1979, Liana has published three short story collections, a collection of novellas, two further novels, a biography of poet Fadwa Touqan and five children’s books. Her most acclaimed novel ‘The Eye of the Mirror’ is based on seven years of research and intertwines a love story with Palestinian history. 

Find out more about Liana here.

Sarah Bahbah is a Palestinian-Jordanian artist born and raised in Australia. Raised by immigrant parents in a culturally conservative environment, she rebelled through her art. Over the past decade, Sarah has developed a signature style of visually striking, culture-shifting stories that combine intimate thoughts with cinematic stills. Her art explores the power of vulnerability, giving voice to the chaos and desire in imperfect relationships. 

We have selected the photography series, I Love You, Me Neither (2017) 

See more of Sarah’s work here.

Ahmed Masoud is a Palestinian author, playwright, and director who grew up in Palestine and moved to the UK in 2002. His debut novel, Vanished – The Mysterious Disappearance of Mustafa Ouda, has garnered critical acclaim for its gripping narrative and deep exploration of life under occupation. Masoud’s work is known for its poignant storytelling and its ability to shed light on the complexities of Palestinian identity. 

Find out more about Ahmed’s work here.

Dr. Hanan Awwad is a distinguished author, poet, and the long-serving President of PEN Palestine. She has been a leading voice in Palestinian literature and activism since the early 1990s. Her work, including 13 books and poetry collections, such as ‘Woman – a Symbol and a Cause: The Voice of Women in Palestinian Resistance Literature’, has played a crucial role in amplifying the experiences of Palestinian women through literature.

Find out more about Dr Hanan here.

Saj Issa is a Palestinian artist whose work has been showcased in prominent exhibitions including the Felix Art Fair 2022 in Los Angeles, the Materials Fair 2022 in Mexico City and the Many exhibition at the Craft Contemporary Museum in LA.

Central to Issa’s practice is social commentary. Her ceramics, such as those in the Sanitary Flask Series 2020, critique capitalism and cultural erasure.

Find out more about Saj Issa

Asma was a trailblazing Palestinian writer, poet, and activist. She made her mark in the 1920s by writing and staging plays and went on to play a crucial role in social activism and advocating for women’s rights through radio broadcasts and journalism. Settling in Beirut after the Nakba, she continued her literary work which included her renowned book, Abir wa majd that features interviews she conducted with Palestinian women.

Find out more about about Asma here.

Rula Halawani is a Palestinian photographer and visual artist. With a background in photojournalism and advanced photographic studies, her art, which often mixes contemporary and archival imagery, challenges perceptions of identity, cultural erasure and how we view and remember history. 

We have selected the ‘For You Mother’ series.

Find out more about Rula here.

Palestinian artist and art historian Kamal Boullata made significant contributions to the art world with his unique blend of geometric patterns and icon-painting traditions. 

We have selected ‘And There Was Light, No 1’ (2015)

Find out more about Kamal Boullata here.

Zena Agha is a Palestinian-Iraqi writer, poet and artist from London, known for her poetry collection Objects from April and May which was inspired by the emotional impact of an armed robbery where her cherished gold necklaces were stolen, which held deep cultural significance. The collection explores the personal and cultural loss through poetry, capturing the profound emotional effects of the theft and reflecting on the significance of these objects.

Read more about Zena here.

Founded in Jenin, Fragments Theatre is a theatre and cultural centre that connects artists with each other, with the local community, with other art scenes in Palestine and with the rest of the world. Through media, theatre and visual art, they ensure that local voices are heard, providing a safe space for people to interact and express themselves through artistic and cultural creations. They also help those vulnerable to manage stress and trauma through the arts.

Find out more about Fragments Theatre.