'Like Seeds, We Will Continue': With An Oud In Hand, This Musician Sings Stories Of Palestine

As a storyteller and musician, I worked in Gaza for many years with children from different backgrounds and their parents during the Israeli wars. In the aftermath of these wars, I worked internationally and trained in Belgium and Spain. I now live in Manchester, Britain. I perform as a solo oud player and as part of Gazelleband—which I formed along with writer and musician Dr Louis Brehony. I have been increasingly invited to perform around the world, where I see my work as a representative of Gaza and Palestinian Arab culture. 

Since October, I have done many concerts in Britain and Ireland, where musicians and activists invited me to perform in Donegal as part of a solidarity tour. The support of the Irish really encouraged me to continue to speak and play for Palestine. 

When I heard about the first Israeli bombs, I felt fear, of course, but thought this would be like all of the other wars we have lived through. I immediately thought about my family and friends. I have two brothers in Gaza, including one with three young children, along with grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and all of my friends and neighbours. All of them have now lost their houses to the bombing.

I felt angry because I could not be there. Every war previously, I worked as a music therapist with children affected by the war, who had lost their families or homes. I feel guilty about being in Britain – I should be in Gaza helping them. This is my work and my message. 

I have lost many friends and neighbours to Israeli bombings. They killed them and destroyed their houses. I am a strong person but have felt a change in my life since October. I can’t relax. I’m constantly thinking about my people. The war has made me want to work more as a Palestinian musician because we express our message and our stories through music. I lived through three wars and have many memories to share. There are many emotions but I channel them into my oud playing and through musical performances.

My family home is in Nasser, Gaza City, and is a place of many memories. My three siblings and I grew up there. So did my brother’s children. My mum and dad worked hard and saved money to make the house what it was. We had many musical instruments and cultural items. It was the perfect place for my brother Fares and me to become musical artists. And then, in one split second, everything was gone, along with all of the stories, memories and objects. A Zionist tank bombed the house and destroyed it completely. I also considered Gaza’s theatres and cultural centres to be my home. The Israelis are not just targeting Hamas, as they claim, but are destroying all of our centres for childhood and cultural learning. 

I know exactly what people in Gaza are going through and I feel it is important to raise my voice at this moment. Through my oud playing, music and stories, I translate everything going on in Gaza and present this to audiences in Europe. I don’t feel that this is hard. I know that I must be active and tell people why the war is happening and what it does to everyone in Gaza, including myself. This war and the oppression make us stronger as Palestinians, and Gazans, especially. We will never be silent. We will continue to demand our rights. 

I spend a lot of time following the news and social media but I have also become more active as a musician, performing everywhere. Of course, I am really worried about my city and my family. 

In Gaza, there are few houses left and stand under threat of bombing. Most people have been displaced, with many living in tents on the streets. The land itself has a story. We were brought up on this land and have known from childhood about our cause. The land has value and this is why the occupation wants it. There is no relationship in the entire world that compares to the relationship between the people and the land, and their resistance to defend it to death. On this land, many children are dying. But, as Bobby Sands said, we are like seeds. We will continue. 

My hope is that after the war, I will be able to go back to Gaza and work with the children. Nothing is clear right now, but everything that has influenced me in exile, and the realisation of how difficult it is to be a refugee outside my country is really a lesson. We must remain on our land.

(As told to Anisha Reddy)

(This appeared in the print as 'Like Seeds, We Will Continue')