Al Hayat

An English-Arabic song that I wrote with a friend from Palestine, while we were both living on the Greek island of Leros.

Her family was there to seek refuge in Europe, I was there to volunteer at a local community center. I recorded and directed this in Munich, Germany, after leaving. Germany was so easy for me to get to. It would be so much harder for her.

So much of tourism operates on extraction, and to some extent this is necessary but I really prefer exchange. I go to be, not to see. I go to listen, to observe, collaborate, understand, and to be a conduit for people’s stories. Ukulele magic opens many doors.