Saot Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interdisciplinary festival for solidarity with
Palestine and intersectional struggles in Berlin.
Second edition 16.–25.06.2023

Program

Badiaa Bouhrizi

Badiaa Bouhrizi, also known by her stage name Neysatu, is a singer-songwriter and composer who represents thealternative music scene in Tunisia. Neysatu is a musical experience and a voice that neither wishes itself to be traditionalnor polished folklore, nor an artificial fusion, but only an expression of authentic music.

She began her performing career at age seven as a soloist in a local choir, subsequently joining the Tahar Haddad choir,which performs classical styles of Arabic music such as muwashshahat and ma’luf. In 1998, in Tunis, she joins the rockband the “Black Angels” then “Kheprae”, a free improvisation band. Later she moved to Paris to study musicology at theUniversity of Paris VIII and focus on making music. Eventually, she found her personal voice when she began composing ina minimalist style and, while getting closer to her roots, her voice came slowly free, revealing her origins in the Tunisiannorthwest, El Kef, with its strong Amazigh influences. Badiaa sculpts her new world of sound, under the name Neysatu.

Dj YA Z AN

YA Z AN is a Palestinian DJ and Electrical Engineer currently based in Berlin. Since the young age of 10, YA Z AN has been mixing electronic music influenced by the music scene in his home town – Ramallah. Since moving to Berlin, he has been exposed to the techno scene there, musically and atmospherically. Not limiting himself to one genre of techno; he plays Minimal, Dub, industrial hard hitting and what he likes to call fluffy Techno.

YA Z AN has had debuts in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Belgium, Palestine and Jordan that has given him the chance to shape his presence infront of a crowd. Playing for collectives like Union, Recordat, Buttons and Gegen. He has played in Amsterdam Dance Event and on radio shows like the Golden Hour, micro.radio and Refuge Worldwide.

Haya Zaatry

Haya Zaatry’s musical origins stem from wistful acoustic folk, blending seamlessly with Arabic musical inflections, imbibed in the cities that nurtured her: Nazareth and Haifa.

Her characteristic smooth vocals are a flicker between Souad Massi and Joni Mitchell’s ingenuity, skillfully combining indie influences and modal variations. A self- taught musician and practicing architect, Zaatry began her musical career with the much lauded “Manakir” (nail varnish) on the seminal Ghanni 3an Ta3rif album of a group of influential Palestinian artists in 2013. The song was featured in 2021 on the Netflix “AlRawabi School For Girls”.

Haya quickly embedded herself within the local grassroots community through co-founding “Eljam”, a non-profit community project empowering the Palestinian underground music scene from 2020-2016. Her melodies and lyrics take listeners on deep emotional voyages, inviting them to the most intimate corners of her colourful Levantine soul, while thoughtfully challenging the boundaries of social, political and gender matters within her local environment.

Saraabb

a Syrian Sufi Electro Downtempo live band consisting of three musicians. Their unique sound is inspired by Sufi poetry and traditional melodies, combined with electronic sounds. The band has made a name for itself in the Berlin music scene with its distinctive sound.

Through Their music, They aim to demonstrate that music has the power to transcend cultural and religious boundaries.

Arabic Short Movies 

Join us for a captivating evening of Arabic cinema at the Saot Festival’s highly anticipated Arabic Movie Night event on June 19, 2023. This special occasion will showcase a curated selection of thought-provoking and culturally significant films from various Arab countries, promising to take you on a journey of diverse narratives and artistic expressions.

The Movies

Arrival by Ibi Ibrahim (Yamin)
Departure by Ibi Ibrahim (Yamin)
The helmet by Osama Khaled (Yamin)
Climbing over the Wall by Hareth Yousef (Palestine)
Cleaning in Progress by Miream Salameh (Syria)

ELSC–SAOT Panel

In this panel discussion, the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), together with Palestinian activists and journalists, will provide insight into the political context surrounding our struggles and critically assess growing anti-Palestinian racism in Germany. In line with this year’s festival theme of victory, we invite you to a discussion on how to successfully push back against these attacks and support/empower the artist, activist, scholar, journalist, and all those who advocate for freedom and justice.

The entry is for free!

Bashar Murad

Bashar Murad is a Palestinian singer/songwriter, and filmmaker producing globally influenced pop music rooted in Palestinian spirit. His music challenges stereotypes and highlights social issues facing Palestinian youth that are seldom addressed in Palestine, including living under the occupation, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Whether he’s performing in a wedding dress or singing about LGBTQ+ issues, Bashar is always taking risks. As an Arab living in Jerusalem, he is constantly challenging several of the conservative elements of his society. “I try to be respectful to people but also try not to,” says Bashar. As an example, he mentions his song “Ilkul 3am Bitjawaz” (Everyone’s Getting Married), which riffs on society’s traditional view of marriage. In the video Bashar plays the priest, the waiter, the groom and the bride, challenging and breaking gender roles.

Darbet Shams

Palestinian-Syrian musical project carries a political, social, and emotional message that mimics the Palestinian and Arab reality with critical, sometimes serous, and sometimes sarcastic words.

The band launched in 2018 in Haifa, performed shows and concerts in cafes and theaters, and participated in several festivals in various Palestinian cities. Darbet Shams’s musical identity was formulated by integrating different western and eastern musical styles, and it dose not adhere to a traditional musical template or a specific musical branch.

Darbet Shams creates its sound Through a collective interaction led by creativity and free expression, individuals express their relationship with their musical instruments on the one hand and their relationship with the band as a group on the other, creating a shared space for an experience that weaves the form of each song.

The groups consist of the songwriter, musician, and Oud player Samer Asakleh, with ten years of experience composing songs, studying playing techniques, and singing by local professional musicians. Hisham Abu Jabal is a composer, musician, and Guitar teacher who studied music at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem. And percussionist, Haiman Suleiman, received a bachelor’s in Music from the University of Haifa. Hanan Wakim Singer with a title in music from Haifa University. Finally, bass guitarist Mazen Hamdan.

Disco Samir

Disco Samir is a Lebanese experimental musician based in Berlin. His music destroys and reconstructs instruments, vocals, samples and field recordings to create abstract narratives. As a DJ, his sets blend contemporary club music with drill, arabic, pop or whatever else feels right in the moment.

Do not hesitate to ask!

Use the contact form or write us an email on contact@saotfestival.net

 

 

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