Culture in the crosshairs: How artists from Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan navigate the turmoil of war

Musicians have been killed and important venues destroyed in the conflicts across the region

As institutes such as the Rashad Shawa Cultural Centre in Gaza are being destroyed by war, musicians explain how they are trying to preserve culture through their work. AFP

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Artists and cultural institutions have been on the front line of wars in Gaza and Sudan. In a Saturday panel discussion at the Womex music conference and trade fair, held in Manchester, industry leaders from the Mena region spoke about the severe disruptions – including the deaths of artists – caused by ongoing conflicts in the region.

Khaled Ziada, a Palestinian and the director of Marsm – a production company from London specialising in tours and festivals featuring Mena artists – stated that Gaza's cultural sector suffered severe structural damage since the latest Israeli military operations began last year.

“There were about 20 recording studios in Gaza before the war, and these studios were built from nothing, and I don’t know how many are left,” he says. “Gaza had lots of bands, from rock to indie to classical music, showing the variety of the scene. The landscape was really moving into a new phase before the latest war.”

Ziada states he is not surprised by the destruction of the recording studios, noting that cultural organisations have historically been targeted by the Israeli military in previous conflicts in Palestine. He points to last year’s bombing of the Rashad Al Shawa Cultural Centre, a Gazan cultural institution that hosted addresses by international leaders including South Africa's Nelson Mandela, France's Jacques Chirac and former US president Bill Clinton.

"It was built in the 1980s, and this was a symbol of culture in Gaza, a multi-space venue for theatre, cinema and seminars. "So when it was targeted when the war started, I realised that Israelis were hitting and destroying such organisations, this means they plan to go too far," he said. "For Palestinians, music has always been a tool of resistance, especially when music was a threat to the Israeli occupation back in the 1970s and 1980s. So we always used music to inspire us to continue in our resistance and struggle.”

Tour promoter Anthony Semaan, who moved to London from his native Lebanon in the wake of the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, says that with the expansion of the Israel-Gaza war to Beirut, coupled with the country's economic decline, Lebanese musicians are struggling to make a living.

“I've been based in London for three years now, and it has been difficult to do anything in Lebanon because of the situation. But whenever I can, I do go back, and I do organise gigs, and all the money goes to the artists,” he says. “Whenever we do any gig, I actually ask the artists themselves to choose the price of the ticket, how they want to spend the money, where they want to put it, and what they want to do with it. Because for me, it's no longer a thing about making money; it's a thing about keeping our culture alive in some way. And that was the case with the economic situation before what's happened in the past year. Now it's just amplified."

Sudanese musician Mo Shabaka says the raging civil war in Sudan has already claimed the lives of influential artists, including acclaimed singers Abu Araki Abdelrahim and Shaden Gardood, both were reportedly killed last year in the conflict. “I used to play with Abu Araki for about 10 years, and he was killed. His house was bombed, and he had nothing to do with all this chaos,” he says. “Shaden was basically a peace builder at home and dedicated her whole career to that, and she was also killed at 37… so young.”

Shabaka notes how musicians have often been caught in the middle of Sudan’s turbulent history ever since its independence in 1956.

"There is always this vicious cycle of political and cultural conflict in Sudan. Warring parties have been trying to use musicians as propaganda, to produce songs and lyrics about killing each other," he says. "That reminds me of what happened during the Rwandan genocide; they used musicians and radio stations to inflame the war. This is what is happening right now in Sudan, and we need to stop this.”

Despite the unfolding tragedy, Semaan believes the culture sector has an important role to play in calling an end to conflicts. He says the work of cultural organisations and promoters is vital in keeping the voice of artists heard amidst the carnage of war. He says this can be achieved through various means, from supporting artists in affected countries by providing touring opportunities at home and – if possible – abroad, in addition to highlighting their plight in industry gatherings.

“A year ago, I was incapable of organising a gig in Lebanon, and I realised this is psychological, and sometimes we hold ourselves back and say to ourselves, ‘now is not the time'. The reality is there is never a so-called right time,” he says. “Whatever it is that we can do, we should do. Everyone who's here right now is capable, and we are not here by accident… we should continue to speak out.”