The Spiral Times: Radio Lajee

The Spiral Times | Sound of Sumud 2023: Radio Lajee

This month’s show is part of an ongoing Spiral series that focuses on life, joy, struggle, and resistance in Palestine.   You’ll hear a special radio programme which 10-16 year-olds at Lajee Center, Aida refugee camps' grassroots community space, which they made this July with BB. The kids who took part devised, recorded, produced, and presented their own show, making original music for it and conducting interviews with Aida refugees aged 8 to 84, including Nakba survivor Jalilah Al-Azraq. In their own words, they will tell you the meaning of their history, the reality of their lives under a brutal 75-year occupation, and their dreams for the future. You only have to listen. This is Radio Lajee: The Next Generation.

This was part of a project BB helped initiate with her Irish comrades called Sound of Sumud, where Lajee youth got to try everything from field recording to lyric writing, DJing and beat making, filming, Irish language and dance, storytelling, and facilitation. On the show, you’ll hear their reflections about building international solidarity through relationships and creativity, learning from and with young people, and the impact Aida and Lajee have had on them. They also speak about the unique bond between Ireland and Palestine, language justice, and the roots of this connection which go back many decades to different times and to the heart of both struggles.

Alongside found sounds and audio experiments, most of this show's soundtrack was picked by the Radio Lajee production crew, alongside some addictive bangers heard on the party bus to Ramallah, at the fairground, and in the streets during Tawjihi (exam results) season, plus a special tribute to Sinead O’Connor, who loved Palestine and passed away during our trip.

Radio Lajee - The Next Generation was created by

Reem Ikhayel - 14
Rand Salah Ajarma-16
Rawand Salah Ajarma-10
Qusai Khawaja-10
Omar Alazraq-16
Zeina Odeh-16
Jenan Ajarma-13
Ahmad Abu Yabbis-16
Kenana Al barmeel-13
Asal Assad-13
Sara Ghabbash -14

Special thanks to:

Mejd, Mousa, Athal, Nidal, Echlas, Miras Al-Azza & the whole family
Samer Al-Amir
Romi, Mahmoud, Saddam & everyone who works at Lajee Center - Wad, Aya, Batool, the Lajee music group and health and environment unit
Rand, Rwand Rawad, and the whole Salah Ajarma family
Magi, Mila and Charbel Fatouleh
The whole Aida community for your hospitality

Thank you for listening. If you liked this show or want to know more about how to support this work, follow @thespiraltimes to stay in touch.

Special thanks to the Lajee Legends - go raibh maith agat! And to everyone who donated to help make Sounds of Sumud 2023 happen.