Two-day music and politics event in Manchester will raise money for Palestine Music Space
Launched by Make Music Matter and Ahmed Eid, The Fringe will platform musicians and voices who have spoken out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza
Make Music Matter has teamed up with Palestinian musician Ahmed Eid (pictured) to host a two-day event in Manchester raising money for Palestine Music Space, a community centre for young creatives in Ramallah, the West Bank.
Taking place this weekend (October 24 and 25), The Fringe will coincide with WOMEX, a global music conference also taking place in Manchester, that has failed to include any speakers (out of 150) who have spoken out against the violence the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is wreaking on Palestinians in Gaza — which the UN said in March has met the threshold to be considered genocide.
In a press release, The Fringe organisers said: "WOMEX has invited 105 speakers to their programme with a focus on music from the Global South and actively blocked any mention of the genocide in Gaza, betraying their lack of concern for and active silencing of Palestinians living under a violent occupation and ethnic cleansing campaign, as well as a genocide that has been live streamed for over a year."
To counter this, the fundraising event will platform Palestinian musicians and their allies including Ahmed Eid, Mr. Scruff, Felix Dickinson, Lil Minx, Metrodome and Laura Jackson.
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It will also host a number of talks and workshops by important figures including Alia Alzoughbi (the Artistic Director and CEO of Shubbak Festival), Ruth Daniel (the Artistic Director of In Place Of War), Halima Khan (whistleblower and parliamentary candidate), and Khaled Ziada (Director and CEO of Marsm UK).
Points of discussion will include censorship, resistance, and how to amplify the voices of Palestinians, in an attempt to redress the lack of discourse surrounding these topics in the wider music community.
It will also shine a light on organisations that are working to ensure Palestinian music and expression is not silenced.
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Make Music Matter is a Brighton-based community established to "support political activism through music" and "provide a space for artists and musicians to speak out about Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and now in Lebanon,” according to a press release.
Its first event, The Great Boycott, was organised in collaboration with the late Danielle Moore from Crazy P in protest against Live Nation’s affiliation with Barclays. Alongside raising over £3000 for MAP charity, the event led Live Nation to drop Barclays as a sponsor.
Grab your ticket and view the full line-up here.
Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram