MAKING WAVES

Like countless Palestinian villages since 1948, Ma’loul has been erased from the map. Every year on Israel's "independence day" (the only day on which no permits are needed to move around that area freely) Ma'loul's expelled indigenous Palestinian inhabitants go back to their village, to show their children where they are from.

Michael Barenboim is one of the leading violinists of his generation, performing as a soloist with the most renowned conductors and orchestras. He is also Professor at the Barenboim-Said Akademie, and concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which was created in 1999 by his father Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said. Since early 2024 Michael has come into the spotlight mainly for speaking out about Gaza. He is also part of Make Freedom Ring, a classical musicians collective that regularly organises charity concerts for Palestine in several cities across Europe.

Tyme Khleifi is a curator and cultural manager living in Berlin. She is a violinist, born and raised in Palestine, and has been a member of Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra since 2004. In 2015, she started working at the Barenboim-Said Akademie and Pierre Boulez Saal as Ensemble Manager of the Boulez Ensemble and head of the Concert Office. Tyme has extensive experience curating and managing concerts. Prior to moving to Berlin, she completed her masters degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she also worked with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble.

Together they curate the talk series “Kilmé” (Arabic for “word” ) at Lettrétage Berlin, dedicated to celebrating the work of Palestinian artists, intellectuals and academics. Their commitment is to showcase the diversity and creativity of Palestinian voices, contributing to the rich cultural landscape of Berlin - a city that is home to the largest Palestinian community in Europe.