For the world-famous musician Marcel Khalife, art and politics have been connected from the beginning. Often referred to as the Bob Dylan of the Middle East, he held his first concerts during his home country Lebanon’s civil war in the 1970s, under constant threat of bombing. He became invested in the Palestinian cause early in his career. While his friend and collaborator Mahmoud Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, Khalife during the first intifada in 1989 released the song “Nashid al-Intifada” – chorus of the intifada. Throughout his career, Khalife has released musical interpretations of several of Darwish’ poems. A soundtrack of consolation for the Palestian people through many years of conflict and suffering.
In the Arab world, Khalife is regarded as much a folk hero as a musician. For his interpretation of Darwish’ poem «Oh my father, I am Yusuf», which makes use of the story known from the Quran and the Bible, Khalife was prosecuted for blasphemy on three different occasions. Finally aquitted, he has since been a champion for the right to free expression.
As an artist Khalife has been a renewer of Arab musical traditions, boldly mixing both modern and traditional elements. He is a composer, songwriter and singer, and a gifted player of the oud, a string instrument.
At the House of Literature Khalife will meet Wesam Almadani. This activist and poet came to Norway as a Palestinian refugee, has grown up with Khalife’s music, and will meet him in conversation about his life’s work and it’s impacts.
The conversation will be held in English.
Do not miss the poetry event before the conversation, where Palestinian poets will be reading in Arabic and Norwegian: Palestinsk poesikjeller.
This event is a collaboration with Oslo World, and supported by NORAD.
