Events to be held in Belfast and Derry this week will celebrate the archival sounds, music and imagery of Palestine.
Presented in collaboration with local groups Artists Against Genocide and Comhlámh, the work of the Palestinian Sound Archive will be featured and discussed at the events.
The archive forms part of the Majazz Project, a Palestinian-led record label and research platform founded by Mo’min Swaitat in 2020.
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Mr Swaitat is a London-based Palestinian actor, director and filmmaker originally from the West Bank.
Both events in the north aim to explore “archival practice as a decolonial methodology and act of resistance, through sharing archival sounds and images that preserve and document Palestinian heritage, culture and resistance”.
On Tuesday, the Derry event in Sandino’s will explore the archive’s vinyl records and tapes along with stories of their production, distribution and relevance to Palestinian history, with Mr Swaitat discussing the project’s origins.
The extensive archive of cassettes and vinyl records includes “everything from field recordings of Bedouin weddings to revolutionary albums from the First and Second Intifadas, instrumental tracks, poetry, soul, folk songs and jazz”.
“Many of these were acquired from a former record label in Swaitat’s hometown Jenin, in the north of the West Bank,” organisers said.
On Wednesday, Mr Swaitat will feature in a panel discussion in the fourth instalment of the ‘Palestine 101’ webinar series at Belfast’s Black Box.
Hosted by Palestinian activist Farrah Koutteineh, Mo’min will introduce the audience to the archive before a music performance alongside DJ Snuff.
The webinar series, which can also be streamed online, aims to explore “solidarity actions for a Free Palestine” through hearing directly from artists, activists and educators about their lived experiences.