Artistic Freedom of Expression and Palestine
A lunchtime talk in which Nesrine Malik and Omar Robert Hamilton discuss the significance of artistic freedom in the context of Palestine. The discussion will consider how creative expression reflects and responds to the realities faced by Palestinians, addressing the pressures on artists, the impact of global cultural boycotts, and the role of literature and art in shaping narratives and fostering dialogue.
Omar Robert Hamilton
Omar Robert Hamilton is an author, editor, and co-founder of the Palestine Festival of Literature. Established in 2008, PalFest – as it is known – takes international authors to Palestine where they stage free, public events with their Palestinian counterparts in cities across the West Bank and ’48. Each day the guests travel to a different city where they meet activists, artists and scholars by day, and stage their events at night. International guests will typically visit Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus, Lydd, Bethlehem and Haifa. In 2012 the festival took place exclusively in Gaza, entering through Egypt in the one year the Muslim Brotherhood were in power. PalFest has taken over 100 international authors, editors, publishers and agents over twelve editions of the festival and published two major anthologies of the work produced as a result. Since October 7th PalFest has been producing major events internationally to raise cultural pressure against the genocide, assisting writers and publishers with ongoing engagements on Palestine, and helping Gazan writers reach new audiences however possible.
Nesrine Malik
Nesrine Malik is an acclaimed British Sudanese author and journalist known for her wide-ranging commentary on issues of race, identity, politics, and international affairs. Her book We Need New Stories: Challenging the Toxic Myths Behind Our Age of Discontent (2019) critiques the narrative foundations of increasingly intolerant and authoritarian politics in Britain and the United States, exploring how once-fringe views have gone mainstream. Her columns in leading outlets including the Guardian, New York Times, and Washington Post address topics ranging from Islamophobia and feminism to African politics, with deep insights into the ways colonial and postcolonial legacies shape our contemporary world. Malik received the 2021 Robert B. Silvers Prize for Journalism.