Talk: Wadi Al-Nisnas

Hamody Gannam has invited Walaa Sbait to discuss Wadi Al-Nisnas, one of the few Arab neighbourhoods left in Haifa which has maintained its Palestinian characteristics in the architecture, food, smells, sounds and culture. Historically, it has been home to many pioneering Palestinian poets, artists and politicians, such as Mahmoud Darwish, Sameeh Al-Qassim, Emil Habibi and Ez-Aldin Al-Qassam. Over the past two decades, Haifa’s municipality has been advocating the neighbourhood as a place which resembles multi-culturalism and co-existence between the three religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism. However, on the ground, disenfranchisement for the Arab community continues, and there has been an increase in discriminatory policies by the Israeli state.

The talk sheds light on the themes examined in Hamody Gannam’s sound installation of archive boxes Wadi Nisnas (2014), which attempts to remember the stories the occupation tries to erase through a series of interviews with residents of Wadi Nisnas. Currently on show as part of The Mosaic Rooms group exhibition Suspended Accounts.

Walaa Sbait is a community arts practitioner, performer and educator, born in Haifa city. He has a BA in Sociology, Theatre and Conflict Studies, and an MA in Applied Theatre. He is co-founder of musical projects such as Ministry of Dub-key and the band 47SOUL.