The Palestinian tapes, part 2
Hanan and Riad’s story of making the Intifada tape. There was disco, protest and poetry – and ultimately danger. An underground network of music lovers would keep the songs alive.
In 2020, Mo’min Swaitat unearthed a treasure trove of lost Palestinian music in an abandoned building. Out of thousands of dusty cassettes there was one that caught his eye: a bright yellow tape, completely unmarked except for a handwritten label that said ‘Intifada.’ Mo’min loved the music and a series of clues led him to Hanan Awwad, an elderly Palestinian woman living in occupied East Jerusalem. In this episode, Hanan tells the story of how her brother Riad made the Intifada tape. There was disco, protest and poetry, but the consequences would be dangerous. Through an underground network of music lovers, Riad’s songs would survive and eventually end up with Mo’min.
Palestinian tapes parts 1 & 2 production credits:
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Editor: Munazza Khan
Sound design: Joel Cox
Mix: Giles Aspen
With thanks to Diana Alghoul for translation support
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
(Photo: Montage of Riad, Hanan, Mo'min & the Palestinian tape archive including the intifada cassette. Credit: Alice Austin, Hanan Awwad and Mo'min Swaitat).
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