Interviews with palestinians
Scroll down to find all the episodes where we speak to Palestinian artists and their allies. Or you can also listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you normally get your podcasts.
#15 Defiantly Compassionate - Featuring the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp
#19 Palestine Solidarity Special - a 2-parter recorded just after Israel's invasion of Gaza
#26 Friends of Salt & Revolution - Interviews with Taqi Spateen and Juman Quenis, a visual artist and film-maker from Bethlehem
#29 Joy Is Resistance - We're joined by Marina Barham from the Al-Hara Theater
#36 Live at Greenbelt Festival - Joining the duo are Mohammed Moussa and Fadi Murad live
Plus Factory Floor Cuts, our bonus episodes:
Marena Riyad - Palestinian stand-up comedian and event promoter based in Texas
The Watermelon March - Music, speeches and vox pops from artists marching in Leeds
Shayma's Story - An interview with a Palestinian teacher living in Leeds and her love for art and culture
Protest Photography - Speaking to the photographers who regularly document the Leeds marches
Palestine Unveiled art exhibition - Natalie visits a showcase of art raising money for important causes
Hannah Khalil - An Irish-Palestinian playwright
Culture As Resistance - A panel featuring actor and presenter Sarah Agha, classical musician Saied Silbak and director and producer Abed Al Ju'beh.
chamæleon - A collaboration between Palestinian writer Farah Chamma and Brazilian musician LIEV
Mohammed Moussa - Founder of the Gaza Poets Society
A Grain of Sand - A play featuring Sarah Agha and written and directed by Elias Mattar about Palestinian folklore and myth.
#15 Defiantly Compassionate - Featuring the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp
#19 Palestine Solidarity Special - a 2-parter recorded just after Israel's invasion of Gaza
#26 Friends of Salt & Revolution - Interviews with Taqi Spateen and Juman Quenis, a visual artist and film-maker from Bethlehem
#29 Joy Is Resistance - We're joined by Marina Barham from the Al-Hara Theater
#36 Live at Greenbelt Festival - Joining the duo are Mohammed Moussa and Fadi Murad live
Plus Factory Floor Cuts, our bonus episodes:
Marena Riyad - Palestinian stand-up comedian and event promoter based in Texas
The Watermelon March - Music, speeches and vox pops from artists marching in Leeds
Shayma's Story - An interview with a Palestinian teacher living in Leeds and her love for art and culture
Protest Photography - Speaking to the photographers who regularly document the Leeds marches
Palestine Unveiled art exhibition - Natalie visits a showcase of art raising money for important causes
Hannah Khalil - An Irish-Palestinian playwright
Culture As Resistance - A panel featuring actor and presenter Sarah Agha, classical musician Saied Silbak and director and producer Abed Al Ju'beh.
chamæleon - A collaboration between Palestinian writer Farah Chamma and Brazilian musician LIEV
Mohammed Moussa - Founder of the Gaza Poets Society
A Grain of Sand - A play featuring Sarah Agha and written and directed by Elias Mattar about Palestinian folklore and myth.
It's been a tough old month at Vandal Factory HQ. Henry and Natalie celebrate the life of a dearly departed friend and talk about the latest wave of violence affecting the Freedom Theatre in Palestine. We also play a new track by Fold, talk about the actors and writers strikes in America and chat with Libra, part of Middle Child/Milk Presents' show: MODEST
In part 1, Henry and Natalie discuss the ongoing invasion of Gaza and why we need to raise our voices in solidarity. You'll hear Palestinian hip-hop and conversations with the directors and volunteers of the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. We play urgent audio from Artists On The Frontline, a collective response to the occupation in the West Bank. Plus people attending the Leeds demonstrations share their emotional insights and anger as we rally to demand: FREE PALESTINE.
In part 2, Henry and Natalie share ways people in the UK have been organising, fund-raising and taking direct action. How have culture organisations and workers rallied to stand with Palestine? We play audio from incredible Palestinian artists: poet Farah Chamma, illustrator Aya Ghanameh, multidisciplinary artist Areej Kaoud and musician Saied Silbak. Khairani Barokka, Hanan Issa, Mohammad Saloo share their heartfelt poetry in support, and Em from Rootweave introduces their vital song 'From The River To The Sea'.
Marena Riyad is a Palestinian comedian, actress and Henna artist living in Dallas, Texas. She was a semi-finalist for the funniest comedian in Texas and was as a finalist for Miss Arab USA representing Palestine. She talks about the power of a story-teller and her artistry on stage working with an audience.
Every Saturday, over 1000 people of different faiths, ages and backgrounds march to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the miltary occupation of Palestine. On February 10th 2024, not only did this march centre the story of the watermelon, it featured the first ARTISTS & CULTURE WORKERS BLOC. People working in the arts sector marched shoulder-to-shoulder.
Natalie talks to British-Palestinian Shaymaa Tannira who is desperately fundraising to help her family escape from Rafah, Gaza. Please donate whatever you can via her Go Fund Me page: https://gofund.me/82a0748c
Shaymaa chooses to share two songs that have been giving her strength in recent months Habayebna by Angham and Ghorbet Watan by Mohammad Jneid.
Shaymaa chooses to share two songs that have been giving her strength in recent months Habayebna by Angham and Ghorbet Watan by Mohammad Jneid.
For months in Leeds, a sparky crew of photographers and video-makers have been documenting the demos. They've been capturing moments of anger, grief, hope and community with the sharpest shots. We gathered a handful of these snappers to discuss technique, story-telling and camaradiere.
Henry and Natalie visit East Street Arts and meet Juman Quneis and Taqi Spateen, with special thanks to the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival.
Juman is a film-maker from Ramallah in the West Bank whose documentary work has influenced Palestinian law. She's in the UK studying film and volunteering with the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. She talks about her work, as well as her vision for a documentary about murdered journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Taqi Spateen is a visual artist-activist who has worked across the world. He's visiting Leeds to paint a mural on the side of East Street Arts' building. He talks about the inspiration for his artwork, being arrested by the Israeli Occupation Forces and why he loves a classic Italian song.
Juman is a film-maker from Ramallah in the West Bank whose documentary work has influenced Palestinian law. She's in the UK studying film and volunteering with the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. She talks about her work, as well as her vision for a documentary about murdered journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Taqi Spateen is a visual artist-activist who has worked across the world. He's visiting Leeds to paint a mural on the side of East Street Arts' building. He talks about the inspiration for his artwork, being arrested by the Israeli Occupation Forces and why he loves a classic Italian song.
Natalie visited the Palestine Unveiled art exhibition, a one-day pop-up event at Cole's Gallery in the Leeds Corn Exhange. Celebrating solidarity through visual art and fund-raising for medical aid, Natalie met artists speak about their work and the vital importance of fund-raising. She speaks with artists Salma Kuhail, Mahgull Khan, Fatima Asad and Josh Sutton.
Featuring Marina Barham, the co-founder and General Director of Al-Harah Theater talking about their work bringing joy to communities living in the West Bank of Palestine. We also interview Amber Massie-Blomfield about her new book 'Acts of Resistance' about the power of art to make a better world.
A live panel discussion recorded at the 10th Leeds Palestinian Film Festival on 6th December 2024. Three Palestinian creatives share their thoughts on the role of arts to tell urgent stories. Featuring actor and presenter Sarah Agha, classical musician Saied Silbak and director and producer Abed Al Ju'beh. Hosted by Natalie Quatermass.
Hannah Khalil is an Irish Palestinian playwright whose play My English Persian Kitchen received rave reviews after sold out shows. Hannah spoke to us about freelancing for episode #32, but here is the full interview where Hannah also discusses her plays and craft.
chamæleon is a collaboration between Palestinian writer Farah Chamma's poetry and Brazilian producer LIEV's musical soundscapes. They explore the intersection between spoken word and musical texture, diving into the unknown to search for belonging and identity.
Henry interviews them about So many ways To Move, a combination of audio, visuals and words which they performed in York on 1st June 2025.
Henry interviews them about So many ways To Move, a combination of audio, visuals and words which they performed in York on 1st June 2025.
Deep in the woods of Greenbelt Festival, you'll find the Rebel Rouser stage, a home to distrupters, hopers and gobheads... and Henry and Natalie hosting a live episode!
Joining the duo are Mohammed Moussa, Fadi Murad and Ste Bardgett. Ste is half of indie-punk noise-makers Mouses and is part of the team programming the Rebel Rouser line-up. After they perform a racketty banger, poet Mohammed joins us. Mohammed is the founder of the Gaza Poets Society, a collective of Palestinian poets dedicated to sharing verse and stories. Finally Fadi Murad, a writer and performer from Jerusalem, shares a piece from his latest project.
Joining the duo are Mohammed Moussa, Fadi Murad and Ste Bardgett. Ste is half of indie-punk noise-makers Mouses and is part of the team programming the Rebel Rouser line-up. After they perform a racketty banger, poet Mohammed joins us. Mohammed is the founder of the Gaza Poets Society, a collective of Palestinian poets dedicated to sharing verse and stories. Finally Fadi Murad, a writer and performer from Jerusalem, shares a piece from his latest project.
Mohammed Moussa is a poet, podcaster and founder of Gaza Poets Society. Joining us at Vandal Factory HQ half-way through a UK tour, Mohmmed talks about his love for language, what it means to be a Palestinian poet on stage and whether poems can change the world.
Henry and Natalie interview musicians Boff Whalley and Yung Yusuf. Boff Whalley is the former guitarist of Anarcho-Pop stars Chumbawamba and is the founder of Commoners Choir, talks about his new book - 'But Life Isn't Like That, is it?' and saying thank you to the people who inspired him. Yung Yusuf is a British-Palestinian rapper whose work spans sun-drenched jazz and wider fierce, bass-fuelled politics.
'A Grain of Sand' is a new play written and directed by Elias Matar and performed by Sarah Agha. It tells the story of Renad, an 11-year-old Gazan girl, who embarks on a dangerous journey. Carrying only the echoes of her grandmother’s tales and the spark of her own imagination, she searches for her family and the ‘Anqaa’ - the mythical Palestinian Phoenix.
