Palestine
Welcome to The Grapevine – a monthly series from Pink Jinn where we pass the mic to artists, thought leaders, influencers and pioneers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the global diaspora. We’ve got a fabulous edition of the Grapevine for you this month, including beauty recommendations from the woman who literally wrote the book on eyeliner! Journalist and author Zahra Hankir has joined us to share the art and music that inspires her, recipes and places woven into her family history and much more.
Whether you’re looking for documentaries which will give you the background on what is happening in Gaza, a solid grounding in the history of Palestine, historical dramas which bring the impact of the Nakba into sharp focus, celebrations of Palestinian culture and persistence, or films which bring home the appalling realities of life under occupation, this list of feature films, documentaries and shorts covers everything.
Many of these films are available to stream online, some for free, and others are showing at film festivals across the world – keep an eye out for one near you!
The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 10,000. The atrocities continue in both Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, and we’ve seen many people feeling helpless and powerless to act. Very little aid is making it into Gaza, and none at all into the worst affected areas in the north of the territory.
It’s so important that we don’t lose hope, don’t look away, and don’t stop supporting Gaza and the rest of Occupied Palestine. Here are some things which you CAN do to channel your despair, grief and anger into action, and keep going.
This list contains a range of fiction and non-fiction literature focusing on Palestine, including historical, political and some deeply personal accounts, with an emphasis on highlighting the work of Palestinian authors. The list starts at the beginning, delving into the colonial history that shaped the Middle East as it exists today. It goes on to trace the experiences of Palestinians over the course of the last century until the present, including fiction and poetry reflecting on the Palestinian experience, and culminating in powerful calls for change, analysis of how the world is failing Palestine, and arguments for how we can all be part of the solution.
Welcome to The Grapevine – a new monthly series from Pink Jinn where we pass the mic to artists, thought leaders, influencers and pioneers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the global diaspora. They’ll be sharing their top arts, culture and lifestyle picks with all of us – from the books and podcasts shaping the way they think, to the music, food, places and brands that bring magic to their everyday.
Today we’re very excited to share a recipe designed by award-winning cookery writer and food artisan Dima Sharif! Her Musakhan Canapés are the perfect dish for iftar get-togethers (the evening meal after dusk falls and the day of fasting ends), dinner parties or Eid celebrations. This imaginative spin on mouthwatering traditional Palestinian musakhan is the perfect appetiser to serve at your next do – and even better, they are suitable for vegans and vegetarians for the ultimate in stress-free entertaining.
This year has been anything but easy, but a host of stellar movie releases from the Middle East made 2022 a remarkable year for filmmaking across the region. We’re ending this year by looking back through these triumphs of cinema, so that you can start 2023 with a ready-made list of outstanding and poignant films to watch. Bear witness to the horrors of the Nakba with Farha, gain a sense of the struggles faced by artists and filmmakers working under Iranian censorship in Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, see life through the eyes of a Syrian family starting a new life in Belgium in My Paper Life, follow Yusra and Sara Mardini’s perilous journey to safety in The Swimmers, and feel true fear with Reem, a Palestinian woman whose life is plunged into disaster in Huda’s Salon.
Following in the footsteps of her mother, renowned tatreez artist Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, Wafa Ghnaim of Tatreez & Tea is on a mission to preserve and promote tatreez, proudly claiming this beautiful textile art form for Palestinians across the globe and encouraging new generations of embroiderers to practice this age-old art.
Tatreez, or Palestinian embroidery, is a textile art form which consists of intricate geometric patterns…