“own your life, seek equal gender relations, destroy Patriarchal society, transcend the occupation, erase the fear. this video is released to the world in hopes of changing social conceptions that drive young people into living their lives feeling trapped and unfulfilled” - Qambuta Productions 

When I was in Palestine/Israel 2 years ago, I felt disconnected. I felt like a stranger. I had all these connections to the land, but I had no way to connect to the people. That has all changed up until this video…. Check it out y’all. 

Directors / Khader Abu-Seif / David Pearl
Cinematographer / Ziv Sade
Editor / Raviv Mordoch

Music by Yasmine Hamdan- La mosh 

Fast food binge (at Superdawg Drive-In)

An amazing cover of Mashrou’ Leila- inni mnih….. my heart just shook. 

A view of Beirut from the civilian perspective… music by Zeid Hamdan. 

Hey y’all Finals are over so IM BACK!!! Check out Egyptian musician Youssra El Hawary in her music video “El Soor”. Makes me want to learn how to play the accordion so bad. 

Palestinian artists take charge on women rights issues! Check out this music video with DAM ft. Amal Murkus. Video directed by talented Jacqueline Reem Salloum and Suhel Nafar. 

Suhel Nafar:
‏Before she was murdered, she wasn’t alive
‏We’ll tell her story backwards from her murder to her birth
‏Her body rises from the grave to the ground
‏The bullet flies out of her forehead and swallowed into the gun
‏The sound of her echo screams, she screams back
‏Tears rise up from her cheeks to her eyes
‏Behind the clouds of smoke, faces of her family appear
‏Without shame, her brother puts the gun in his pocket
‏Her father throws down the shovel and wipes the sweat off his forehead
‏He shakes his head, satisfied from the size of the grave
‏They pull her back to the car, her legs kicking
‏Like a sand storm, she’s erasing her own tracks
‏They throw her in the trunk, she doesn’t know where she is
‏But she knows that three left the house and only two will return
‏They reach the house; throw her to the bed in violence 
‏”So you want run away huh?” they wake her with violence 

‏Amal Murkus (Chorus)
‏If I could go back in time
‏I would smile 
‏Fall in love
‏Sing
‏If I could go back in time
‏I would draw
‏Write
‏Sing

‏Mahmood Jrere:
‏She dreams before falling asleep
‏We’ll tell her story backwards, maybe understand
‏The clock hands move right to left
‏She reconstructs her steps as if she were lost
‏She sleeps prepared, money for the taxi
‏Plane ticket and passport under her pillow 
‏Answer: leave the clothes in the closet; she plans to wear a new life 
‏Question: what if they ask what the suitcase is for?
‏She went to bed, leaves table
‏Eats well, she must act today
‏Her nose stops bleeding, that’s what they see
‏But it’s a fresh wound; before they will beat her she will beat them
‏Her mom says “your life is like heaven”
‏She’s right, if you taste the forbidden you better know someone is watching 
‏Two hours before dinner, the phone hangs up
‏Her mom is shocked “the flight is delayed”
‏Phone rings

‏ Amal Murkus (Chorus)

‏Tamer Nafar:
‏Before she answers, she isn’t even asked
‏The story is like the logic in her life, all backwards
‏Her hands up in the sky, begging for help
‏Their hands up in the sky reciting the Fatiha (ceremony before marriage)
‏The calendar page moves one day back, the time is
‏Afternoon, the argument is over, her brother commands her
‏Blood flows from her lips to her nose
‏A sound of a fist, his hand jumps from her face
‏It’s the first time in her life that she says “NO!”
‏Her mom announces happily “tomorrow you will marry your cousin”
‏If I look through the album of her life
‏I won’t see a photo of her standing up for her rights
‏It’s hard, the pages are stuck to my hand
‏Her past full of blood and tears
‏But we promise you, from her murder to her birth
‏Their expressions filled with anger as if someone announced a crime
‏”Congratulations, it’s a girl” 
‏The beginning.

The Palestinian youth rise up again in this Ministry of Dub-key video featuring DAM, Bruno Cruz, Walaa Sbait, Maysa Daw, Mahmood Shalabi, and other talented artists. I really liked how they used the reflection of the green water to show the people in the background dancing. Can never get over arabic reggae. Enjoy! 

An Arabic Birthday Song Classic for my special day! 

I can’t sleep… Hopefully this beautiful song “Ya Nass” by very talented artist Yasmine Hamdan will help. Enjoy, especially for those having a hard time sleeping. 

You all have to check out the band, “Light in Babylon”, they seem to perform a lot on the streets of Istanbul. The band members are culturally diverse with the lead singer Michal being Israeli of Iranian decent, and the other members being of French and Turkish decent. Beautiful music. Enjoy their song “Istanbul”. 

I don’t even know what genre of music this song will fall into. Talented artist Iness Mezel, of Algerian decent, infuses North African culture, beats, and rhythms while sining in French… This is her music video for the song “Amazone”. Enjoy 

Gotta check out Egyptian singer Maii Waleed in her music video “Moga”…. I am really digging arabic indie music. 

Mizrahi Israeli singer Rinat Bar’s new music video for her song “Bolo Ta Ra Ra”. Also in the music video is known Israeli drag queen Uriel Yekutiel. I just love Israeli’s openness with Queers. 

Check out this Moroccan rock band!!!!  The song is “Nstahel” by Khansa Batma!