On December 24 and 25, radio will broadcast live from Gaza and produce a live-streamed exchange between a choir in Bethlehem and Hebron and one in Khan Younis. It’s an unprecedented live connection to a world whose violence has been shrouded in darkness. It’s also a way for live streaming to reconnect a Palestine divided across the West Bank and Gaza.
Radio With Palestine
Radio With Palestine is an ongoing series of “live broadcasts from demonstrations, protests, and actions.” A joint project of Radio 106, Sound Camp, and Acoustic Commons, the project spans radio platforms and community radio from Palestine, upstate New York, France, Germany, Chile, the UK, and Greece.
This afternoon, local Palestinian time, the project will have a live broadcast from besieged Dier al-Balah in central Gaza. People there have been targeted in deadly airstrikes in the past days, meaning a reality of picking through rubble and unceasing danger. Given a ban on international media across Gaza, on top of daily horrors, it’s a rare chance to tune in to sounds from a territory cut off from the world by Israeli attacks. (You can read a report from back in August about the nightmare even then – and now the season has turned cold, and attacks are only intensifying.)
This is a music and music technology site – but I can think of nothing more relevant for sound and technology then to make these connections at an urgent time, to collapse the space in between.
The live broadcast is at 9AM New York / 2PM London / 4PM Bethlehem time on Tuesday, December 24. Listen via any partners or the link below:
Wave Farm (Acra, NY)
WGXC-90.7 FM in the Upper Hudson ValleyLocus Sonus (Aix, FR)
Radio Al Hara (Bethlehem, PS)
radioart 106
Archipel Community Radio (Berlin, DE)
Patapoe (Amsterdam, NL)
Radio Granizo (Olmue, Limache CL)
99.9 MHz in Olmue, LimacheFuse Radio (Bradford UK)
Fade Radio (Athens GR)
Chercan radio (Quilpué CL)
CAMP Radio (Pyrenees FR)
I’m listening now – journalist Ghada Al Kurd is speaking from Al Aqsa Hospital and talking about the horrors of worsening conditions. The program seems to be repeating; I’ll transcribe some excerpts of what Ghada said.
One People
On December 25, Bethlehem’s Wonder Cabinet will stream a musical exchange between two choirs – “Gaza Birds Singing” in Khan Yunis, Gaza, and the Amwaj Choir of Bethlehem/Hebron. (The latter I got to meet in May; I don’t think there was a dry eye among us as they performed.)
Fittingly, that project is called “One People.” The music therapy aspect is real – even amid nonstop horrors over a year in Gaza, I’ve seen various reports of ongoing musical practice and singing as moments of rare relief.
That project. The first broadcast will be the middle of the night for the Americas, but if you’re not awake then, you’ll get more chances – Radio AlHara will continue repeat broadcasts of this project through the week.
In English and Arabic (with photos of both choirs in the slideshow):
*”شعب واحد”* _عرض موسيقي مُباشر من قبل فرقة عصافير غزة تغني و كورال أمواج في مجلس العجب_
_” طيور غزة تغني” هي فرقة موسيقية تم إنشاؤها من وسط المعاناة في منطقة مواصي خان يونس من مُدرسي الموسيقى النازحين والطلاب النازحين حيث يقومون بالغناء في مخيمات النزوح للأطفال للترفيه عنهم وتخفيف آلام الحرب وقاموا بعدة مبادرات منها تعليم اطفال من سن اربع الى ست سنين بالموسيقى فهذه الفئة غير مستهدفة في مخيمات النزوح بالاضافة لإنشاء صف للدعم النفسي للأطفال باستخدام العلاج بالموسيقى ._
★★
25 December
11 AM
*”One people”* _A Music Live exchange Streaming with Gaza Birds Singing & Amwaj Choir at Wonder CabinetGaza Birds Singing (GBS) is a music band created in the midst of the suffering in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area, from displaced music teachers and students, where they sing in camps for children to entertain them and relieve the pain of war. GBS has undertaken several initiatives, including teaching children from the age of four to six years old music so that they can forget the war creating a class for psychological support for children through music therapy.
This comes one year after A Christmas in Mourning, a project that connected Bethlehem and Beirut. Streaming connections across closed borders are one thing, but in November, Laurence Sammour, Sary Moussa, and Abed Kobeissy met in person for the first time at Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht. (Laurence, based in Bethlehem, and the two artists based in Beirut would not be able to cross the borders between their homes in order to meet – the Netherlands, after epic efforts on the parts of the festival to secure visas, became a common ground.) I was there for that performance; I don’t think I can find words to describe it.
There’s some documentation here; Wonder Cabinet has produced a film that just premiered in Bethlehem and I expect may tour:
From their artist statement. It’s just as relevant now. But let’s please not be doing this again this time next year.
“It is with profound humility that we approached this work particularly in light of the inhumane brutality that present-day Palestine is witnessing.
The immense cultural and spiritual significance of this land weighs heavily on us. Throughout the writing process Laurence’s voice and his presence served as a testament to an enduring vitality that this musical tradition holds.
We hope this sonic piece reflects our awe of the heritage on which it is based, as well as our deep appreciation of the opportunity to contribute in producing art that, in many ways, sheds a brief light on the story of Palestine and its people.
This commissioned work asserts Bethlehem’s decision to cancel all festive aspects of this year’s Christmas while Gaza is fiercely facing what can only be described as the purest forms of evil. For us, as musicians from Beirut, to be given the opportunity to be part of this stand, is a treasured privilege, to say the least.
This electro-acoustic piece revolves around the voice of Laurence Sammour, head of the choir of Bethlehem’s Church of The Nativity. Laurence’s voice was the guiding reference in most of the artistic decisions made during the composition process.”
–Sary Moussa and Abed Kobeissy Christmas 2023
More on the project page, including audio:
As I write this, on Tuesday the 24th, the Gazan Health Ministry reports that all three hospitals still partially functioning in North Gaza are under attack – the Indonesian Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital, and Al-Awda Hospital. (If those are familiar, it’s because past attacks have damaged their ability to operate; extraordinarily, the staff have found ways to maintain partial service.)
We keep hearing about a developing ceasefire, but on the ground, the reality is unchanged.
This was the latest message I’ve seen in English translation from Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, received early morning on Monday, December 23 local time:
Yesterday, all of a sudden, tanks and bulldozers approached the western gate of Kamal Adwan Hospital under heavy gunfire directed at the hospital and its departments. Bullets penetrated the intensive care unit, the maternity department, and the specialized surgery department. Thankfully, we had already evacuated patients to the hospital corridors, but some bullets exploded inside the departments, creating fear and chaos among the patients.
Additionally, one of the generators was targeted and completely put out of service due to a fire. There were also attempts to hit the fuel tank, but fortunately, it did not explode.
Currently, we have 91 hospitalized patients, including adults, children, and women. We are still providing the minimum level of service.
We have called on the international community for protection and humanitarian assistance, requesting the opening of humanitarian corridors to bring in what is needed. However, so far, we have received only a very small amount of aid, and we continue to appeal for protection.
It is evident that we are facing a continuous daily threat. The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, the departments, and the staff. This is a serious and extremely horrifying situation. The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displace us.
We urge the international community to intervene quickly and stop this fierce assault on us, to protect the healthcare system, the workers, and the patients within it.
The bombing has not ceased throughout the night, destroying homes and surrounding buildings. Since morning, the hospital has been targeted with bombs in its courtyards and on its rooftop, dropped by quadcopters, once again threatening our fuel and oxygen supplies.
The situation remains extremely dangerous and requires urgent international intervention before it is too late.
Right after I published this, the Tuesday update came in:
Yesterday, for the first time, Robots advanced near the hospital, posing a significant danger due to their proximity. They were very close, and they detonated explosives .
As a result, all the partitions and the doors were destroyed , and the doors were nearly .
The destruction was horrific . In the hospital departments, twenty people were injured, including five medical personnel.
Since this morning, the quadcopter have returned, but this time they are larger and carrying boxes of explosives. Each box appears to exceed twenty kilograms, and they are currently being dropped on the surrounding houses near the hospital. The attacks cause explosions followed by fires in the targeted areas. Anyone moving in the hospital yard is at risk. The quadcopters dropping the bombs are targeting anyone who moves.
A short while ago, the generators were targeted again. The situation remains dangerous.
We currently have more than 65 cases.
We have reached out to the world, but so far, there has been no commitment from anyone to intervene and stop this attack on us.
We continue to urge the world to provide relief to the healthcare system in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and the Indonesian hospital.
We call for the establishment of a safe corridor to bring in all the necessary supplies and aid, to protect workers from targeting, and to safeguard the healthcare system from direct attacks.
I’ll see you all virtually on the online streams this week; I’ll be listening and occasionally in the chat. Thanks to Ibrahim and everyone in Bethlehem, too.