Songs of the Sea
Songs of the Sea arises from systemic injustice, from the relentless struggle against oppression and from the fight for freedom of expression. It honours Palestine’s long history of self-narration, of refusing to submit and of reclaiming stories that have been silenced. This counter-space of art, testimony and collective memory becomes a vessel for visibility, agency and the right to exist.
Germany calls itself a beacon of free expression, but within its cultural spaces the light flickers. Censorship becomes an architecture of absence, reinforced by the physical force of the state. Artists and activists who speak of Palestine, decolonial struggle or critiques of state power face not just exclusion but intimidation. Invitations are withdrawn, exhibitions dissolved, spaces shuttered. Silencing here is not only curatorial erasure or funding cuts, it is also enforced in the streets. Police raids, surveillance and violent crackdowns on demonstrations remind us that dissent is not only managed but punished. And yet, resistance persists. Collectives build their own stages, archives and solidarities. To speak, to gather, to remember in such a landscape is already defiance, an insistence that culture must hold all voices, not only the sanctioned ones.
While one of us physically sail on the Global Sumud Flotilla as part of the Global Movement to Gaza on the efforts to break the illegal siege on Gaza, Songs of the Sea opens a space for Palestinian artists, allies and communities, creating connections that stretch across borders and oceans.
Songs of the Sea is a call and a vessel. It forges partnerships with solidarity networks, letting testimonies and visions move like tides across borders. These currents carry the voices that have been systematically silenced, refusing their erasure, insisting that they be seen, heard, remembered. Every act of witness becomes a declaration. Every shared word becomes resistance. This is a long-term, action-driven endeavour, convening gatherings where artists, allies and communities come together to reclaim and expand spaces of cultural resistance. We strive to move beyond algorithmic platforms, establishing archives and spaces held in our care or in collaboration with trusted partners, where stories, artworks and testimonies can be preserved, shared and accessed on our own terms, protected from erasure and censorship. In this ongoing journey, each voice becomes a wave, each act of witnessing a song. Across the sea and through cultural spaces everywhere, silence transforms into presence, stillness into action and erasure into collective power.
Songs of the Sea inverts the maps of colonial power, allowing memory, care and art to chart the course. It positions itself as an intervention to reclaim the narrative, to bridge geographies, histories and communities, and to ensure that voices meant to be silenced are instead amplified. Here, making and witnessing is itself an act of survival, an act of insistence, a refusal to be silenced.
Join the circle. Add your voice, share your memory, bear witness. Together we can build the archives and stages where silenced stories thrive. Make space. Make song. Make history.
How to Contribute
Songs of the Sea is a call and a vessel, reaching across borders and oceans. It asks us to reflect on how we confront censorship, silencing and erasure, and to consider how transnational solidarity can amplify marginalised voices. It invites us to imagine how cultural interventions with Palestinian artists might reclaim visibility, presence and agency. This space is an invitation to stand together, to listen deeply and to offer meaningful support.
Confidentiality Statement
All responses are held in strict confidence and are accessible only to members of the Songs of the Sea collective if you so wish. Your contributions are deeply valued, protected and will be used solely to guide solidarity, reflection and meaningful action in a way that you agree with.
Contribution & Action Form for Palestinian Participants
What support or resources would make the most meaningful difference in your work, your community, or your everyday struggles?
Which parts of your story, your community, or your work do you wish to carry forward, share, and amplify?
How would you like to engage with this initiative? Are there particular actions, collaborations, or gestures that would be most helpful for you?
We are collaboratively crafting a virtual archive: are there contributions from you that you would like to add and share on your own terms?
All contributions will be compensated financially.
Fill out the form here.
O contact us by email here.
Or reach out via Instagram here.
Contribution & Action Form for Allies / Solidarity Participants
How can your voice, your work or your presence stand in solidarity with Palestinian struggles and other movements for collective liberation?
Which actions or initiatives do you see as urgent to challenge erasure, oppression and injustice?
How would you like to help create and nurture spaces, archives or platforms that honour silenced narratives and foster connection and care?
Fill out the form here.
Or contact us by email here.
Or reach out via Instagram here.
SONGS OF THE SEA COLLECTIVE
Madhumita Nandi | Louna Sbou | Nina Martin
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Arabic lettering by Khajag Apelian
Support by Doreen Toutikian