Musician Faraj Suleiman and writer Majd Kayyal belong to a new generation of Palestinian artists. They are trying to claim a space for Palestinian culture and identity through their work, creating new opportunities not only for themselves but for other artists as well.
In December 2020 the duo launched a new album titled ‘Better than Berlin’. The album, a shift from Suleiman’s previous work, explicitly explores social and political ideas. It tells the story of a hidden side to the city of Haifa – now the third-largest in Israel, and historically a major Palestinian centre with a history stretching back 3,000 years – that listeners can explore as they listen to it.
The two met together at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2010. Suleiman moved to Paris for work and Kayyal stayed in Haifa, working as a journalist and writer. Kayyal published his debut novel, ‘The Tragedy of Mr. Matar’, in 2016 and won the Qattan Foundation Young Writer Award. Kayyal has also been arrested several times by Israeli forces.
