What does a people sound like when their history is under constant threat of erasure? This October, Palestinian Sound Archive invites audiences to a special evening at ALICE, where sound, images, and storytelling come together to form a living archive of Palestinian cultural heritage. Through an introduction, a short documentary, a talk, and a DJ set, founder Mo’min Swaitat presents the archive as both a vehicle for storytelling, a decolonial practice, and an insistence that Palestinian music and voices continue to be heard.

Founded by Mo’min Swaitat in 2019, the Palestinian Sound Archive is dedicated to preserving and sharing Palestine’s rich sonic history. Through radio broadcasts, club nights, audiovisual installations, live performances, research, and music reissues, the archive has, over the past seven years, uncovered and shared hundreds of stories about Palestinian musicians and sound artists. These are stories of artistic creation in the face of displacement, censorship, exile, imprisonment, and occupation.

During this special event at ALICE, audiences will be introduced to the work of the archive, followed by a short documentary and a conversation exploring archiving as both a decolonial methodology and an act of resistance. Drawing on rare recordings and archival material, the evening examines how music can preserve collective memory, cultural identity, and historical experience across generations. The programme concludes with a DJ set featuring music from the archive, and there will also be an opportunity to purchase vinyl releases and merchandise from the Palestinian Sound Archive.