With writer and poet Khaled Juma

Tuesday, October 17th, 15:00-16:30
Location: The Palestinian Museum
Language: Arabic

Join us in a seminar with Khaled Juma about his friend, the late artist Mahmoud al-Abbadi. Juma will give an overview of the deceased’s personal life in an intimate account of memory. He’ll also share how their friendship and al-Abbadi’s sudden death reflected in his poetry, including his collection Nothing Walks in This Dream.
 

About the Artist Mahmoud al-Abbadi

Mahmoud al-Abbadi was a Palestinian composer and singer from Rafah who was born on June 24th 1964. He has many compositions and songs where he sings and plays the oud musical instrument solo. Al-Abbadi never liked the spotlight and did not seek fame; his works were reserved for intimate sessions with friends, or singing in popular concerts, festivals, plays, and making children's songs.

He also sang for many poets, most notably his friend Khaled Juma who appears in all his recordings. Al-Abbadi also sang poems by Mahmoud Darwish and many traditional and national songs. His artistic career began with the establishment of the Palestinian Fallujah Musical Ensemble in Egypt. With Khaled Juma, he later co-founded the Children's Choir, the most significant work of which was the operetta The Turned Off Sun (35 minutes).

Al-Abbadi played a role in the theatre, composing and playing many musical clips and songs for successful plays such as Shater Mush Hassan, Qeemu Al-Ghoul and the play Something Going On, with lyrics by the artist Ibrahim Al Mozain. He also participated in composing and playing with the Qattan Child Centre Children’s Choir and appeared in the wonderful song Ya Siti Ya Steita. The artist Mahmoud al-Abbadi’s story is full of sadness and heartbreak- In September 2014, al-Abbadi tried to escape the suffocating siege on Gaza by joining other Arab refugees in a boat to Europe. The journey was ill-fated- it ended with his drowning, alongside hundreds, near the shores of Italy.