Iraq
History warns us how media's dehumanizing rhetoric can pave the way for targeted aggression and allow society to permit atrocities as grave as genocide. It is resolutely within our mission to counteract this dehumanizing narrative. We have always stood in unwavering solidarity with our Palestinian sisters and brothers (and with individuals of all nationalities and faiths around the world) who bravely protest the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and condemn the state violence of the Israeli colonial settler project. After the events of October 7, 2023 it felt impossible to go on with business as usual. So we dedicated an entire podcast series to understanding the historical context of what is happening in Palestine and to celebrating the richness of Palestinian culture. Guests from completely different disciplines have generously shared their insight in these dark times. This Daftar edition builds on the same mission and is only a sliver of what we’ve dedicated to Palestine, and we will persist so long as the fight for liberation and peace continues. In the face of cultural erasure and ethnic cleansing, we will speak of this land’s Palestinian heritage.
Remembering Waddah Faris
With a keen eye for emerging talent and a deep understanding of the region’s artistic evolution, Waddah Faris played a key role in shaping the visibility of Iraqi and Arab artists on the global stage. His work bridges tradition and modernity, preserving cultural narratives while fostering new creative expressions.
Tsawwar... Waddah Faris
"During the 1970's my father, Waddah Faris, traveled to Iraq numerous times and for several projects. Sometimes he went there to meet artists to bring back to his Contact Gallery in Beirut – and later on to his Galerie Faris in Paris. He was also in charge of photographing the museum collections in Iraq during that decade. On those travels, he often went with his friend, Iraqi artist Dia al-Azzawi, who was an active member of the cultural life in Iraq…"
Founder of Modern Iraqi Art
Jewad Selim
Jewad Selim was an Iraqi painter and sculptor who was considered one of the founders of modern art in Iraq. Born in Ankara during the Ottoman Empire in 1919, he became an influential figure especially because of his central role in founding the Baghdad Modern Art Group alongside Shakir Hassan Al Said and Mohammed Ghani Hikmat.
Tsawwar... Sajad Harsh
The city of Kufa is one of the most important cities in Iraq due to its history and ancient roots. It was the capital of Muslims more than 1500 years ago, characterized by the presence of palm trees due to the flow of water in the Kufa River – which originates from the Euphrates. It is also characterized by heritage sites and remains an agricultural area to this day.
I Am the Hunter, I Am the Prey
Sadik Kwaish Alfraji is an Iraqi-born artist known for his multidisciplinary work in painting, drawing, video, and animation. Exhibited internationally, he is a leading contemporary Arab artist, capturing the emotional and psychological weight of longing for home. His art explores exile, memory, loss, and the human condition, drawing from personal displacement and collective Iraqi experiences. Recognized for his black-and-white imagery and introspective narratives, he delves into existential themes.
I Am the Hunter, I Am the Prey, 2017
Advocating for Justice
Raja Shehadeh
Lawyer, writer, and human rights advocate Raja Shehadeh has spent decades documenting the Palestinian struggle through both legal work and literature. His books, like Palestinian Walks and Strangers in the House, offer personal and political insights into life under occupation.
Browse Books
On the Tradition of Palestinian Embroidery
By Wafa Ghnaim
On Transnational Solidarity & Liberation
By Andy Clarno
On What’s Happening in Palestine Right Now
Inspired by Maktaba Bookshop
On Palestine in 20th Century Literature
By Sonja Mejcher-Atassi
Palestine's Foremost Intellectual
Ibrahim Abu-Lughod
He was described by close friend Edward Said as “Palestine’s foremost academic and intellectual.” And as Rashid Khalidi put it, his work pioneered in influencing the way that the Middle East is portrayed in both political science and in America.
Listen, Read, Watch: Iraq
Recommended by the afikra community
Your Quintessential Iraqi Mixtape by Shakomakonet
afikra Quartertones Mixtape
Songs For Palestine & Resistance
With profiles on El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe and Sabreen Band
Review of Elyanna's Album Woledto
By Kiko Gomersall
Listen, Read, Watch: Palestine
Recommended by the afikra community
Tsawwar... Adam Rouhana
"I was walking around Bethlehem with my camera, as I tend to do, and met this group of boys who were playing in the land. They were very playful and just by talking to them, we kind of became friends. One boy went to pick up his watermelon from the ground. He split it open and started eating it. It was like a playful performance but natural all at the same time. It’s often argued that photography is a kind of fiction — if imagination is to fiction what belief is to the truth, then photography is the act of taking fiction closer to the side of sheer fact. Art is a reflection of the world, and the camera is ostensibly a recorder of time and space, and that’s probably why the images we see become the truth.”
Films About Palestine
Gaza’s Theatres
Apparently, Gaza was home to 10 cinemas between the 1930s and 1980s. For a brief period, cinema prospered in the city with all kinds of films being screened from Arabic and Hollywood to Bollywood productions.
Al-Balalin Troupe
The first Palestinian experimental theatrical group, founded by young Palestinians in 1971 by merging two theatrical troupes that emerged in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The Palestinian Graphic Designer Who Gave the World Universal Signs
Rajie Cook
Also known as Roger Cook, he was a Palestinian American graphic designer, artist, peace activist, humanitarian and photographer. While he is internationally famous for creating the pictographs seen in public buildings and airports, Cook’s lifetime body of work is much wider.
Canvases & Walls
Khaled Hourani has led vital work to keep Palestine’s cultural life active. He co-founded the International Academy of Art Palestine and spearheaded the 2011 project “Picasso in Palestine” which brought an original Picasso painting to the West Bank for the first time, borrowing the Buste de Femme from the Van Abbenmuseum in Eindhoven – a bureaucratic process that took two years. Hourani was born in Hebron in 1965. His own artwork addresses the occupation head-on: exemplified in his Leaping over the Barrier series.
Wall Climbing 2, 2022
