Music
12 Mar 25

Palestinian Sound Archive events to take place in Derry and Belfast this month

Photo: Palestinian Sound Archive

Tickets for both events are available now.

Two special events exploring the origins, and the ongoing work, of the Palestinian Sound Archive – presented in collaboration with Artists Against Genocide and Comhlámh – are coming to Sandinos in Derry on Tuesday, March 25, and The Black Box in Belfast on Wednesday, March 26.

The Derry event, Come I Will Tell You About Palestine, will take attendees on a deep-dive into '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', with insights from the project's founder, Mo’min Swaitat.

The Belfast event will take the form of an in-person panel discussion with Swaitat, which will also be streamed online as the fourth instalment in Artists Against Genocide and Comhlámh's ongoing webinar series, Palestine 101. The conversation, hosted by Farrah Koutteineh, will be followed by performances from Swaitat and Belfast-born DJ Snuff.

The Palestinian Sound Archive – part of Swaitat's Majazz Project, an archival record label and research platform – is described as 'a celebration of music, spoken word and album artwork'. It includes cassettes and vinyl records uncovered from shops and markets across the West Bank – including revolutionary songs, field recordings of Bedouin weddings, soul, jazz, folk music, and more. Many of the recordings were acquired from a former record label in Swaitat’s hometown of Jenin, in the West Bank.

Swaitat – an actor, director and filmmaker, who comes from a long line of Bedouin musicians and story-tellers – has also researched stories of these recordings' production, distribution and relevance to Palestinian history and society.

There will be merchandise on sale at both events, to support the project.

Tickets for the Derry event are available here.

In-person tickets for the Belfast event are available here. You can also sign up to watch the webinar online for free.