Friday, May 15th invites Melahuset for an evening that will remind us of the importance of community, activism, cultural resistance and the Palestinian liberation struggle. There will be dabke dancing with Yasmin Mouafak and concerts by Jamila & the Other Heroes and Maria Orieta Band.

Doors open at 7 p.m.
Dabke workshop and dance from 19.30
Concerts from 9 pm
Free admission!

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Jamila & the Other Heroes

With members from “manywhere,” the Berlin-based band Jamila & The Other Heroes combines Arabic rhythms and psychedelic desert rock with a message of collective liberation struggle. Frontman Jamila Al-Yousef named the band after her Palestinian grandmother, who had to flee Palestine in 1948 and ended up in the GDR. Jamila herself was born in Berlin on the same day the Berlin Wall fell, and nourished by both the revolutionary energy of that time and her family’s life story, she writes songs in both English and Arabic about her family and the Palestinian diaspora.

With soaring desert rock guitars, earthy bass grooves, driving rhythms and Jamila's voice that carries both pain and empowerment, each concert becomes like a collective space filled with energy, resistance and celebration of community.

Jamila & The Other Heroes have released two albums; Sit el Kon ست الكون (Grandmother of the Universe, 2020) and Bazaar Bizarre فلسطين وين أنا؟ (2023), and this spring they are scheduled to release a new EP.

On stage:

Jamila Al-Yousef – vocals, percussion
Jordi Torrent – ​​percussion
Pierluigi Ciaccio – drums
Paul Hoyle – bass
Lovro Jurisic – guitar

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Maria Orieta Band

A concert with Maria Orieta Band is a call to your dancing feet as well as your heart; the music ranges from cumbia and ska to heartbeat folk – and it always rocks! The band consists of Misett Johansen on drums, Taran Greni on bass, Liv Santos on keyboards and Maria Orieta herself on guitar and vocals. Their latest release is called “Jeg har hørt” and is a cumbia/reggaeton that is dedicated to everyone who fights for a free Palestine and who wants a better world.

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Dabke

The traditional dance dabke symbolizes community, joy and cultural resistance. At Melahuset invites Yasmin Mouafak to monthly dabke evenings where there is an opportunity to learn some of the basic steps of dabke, but also to dance with others to live music. This evening the band consists of Jonas Cambien, Khaled Lawze, Samer Alhafez and Razan. 

Jonas Cambien is a Belgian-born, Oslo-based pianist with a unique approach to composition and improvisation. He has a solid classical music background, but is also a child of Oslo's free jazz and improvisation scene.

Khaled Lawze is an oud player from Damascus who is currently based in Oslo.

Samer Alhafez is a Syrian guitarist and vocalist based in Oslo.

Razan is a Palestinian singer who has sung at several Palestinian events and occasions. Through her voice, she uses songs and music as a space for identity and belonging.

May 15 is also known as Nakba Day and marks the beginning of Israel's oppression of Palestine and the Palestinian people. In connection with the establishment of the state of Israel, 13,000 Palestinians were killed and 750,000 were displaced. As a result of the occupation, six million Palestinians are now stateless refugees inside and outside Palestine.