Zaghareed, Hakawati and Palestinian Storytelling | Sally Shalabi

Описание: Long before books and screens, people relied on storytelling to connect with one another, remember their past, and make sense of the world around them.

In this episode, we sit with Palestinian storyteller Sally Shalabi to explore the Palestinian context of this ancient tradition. As she invites us into her craft, we learn how she reimagines and adapts traditional stories to make them resonate with our time.

For Sally, storytelling is far more than just entertainment, it helps us imagine what liberation from a settler colonial reality might look like, which is the first step towards building alternative futures.

This episode is hosted and produced by Afaf Shawwa Bibi. Our executive producer is Zina Jardaneh. Our associate producer is Zeena Shehadeh. Video Editing by Ahmed Ashour. Social media by Leen Karadsheh. Research and copywriting by Dima Sharif. Branding by Sara Sukhun. Theme music includes excerpts from Clarissa Bitar (https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EHST..., The Popular Art Centre - مركز الفن الشعبي (https://www.popularartcentre.org/) & Rim Banna.

This conversation was recorded on February 24, 2026.

Tarwida is a series of conversations that bring Palestinian arts, culture, and heritage to the forefront. We hear from artists, including writers, filmmakers, musicians, architects, culinary practitioners and more about their very own Palestine.

In a nutshell, if you want to know more about (Creative) Palestine, this is the place to be.

Follow us on socials @tarwidapodcast:   / tarwidapodcast  

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Relevant links and Resources:
Follow Sally Shalabi on Instagram (@hakawatieh):   / hakawatieh  
Visit Sally’s website: https://sallyshalabi.com/
Listen to Sally’s Zaghareed podcast: https://soundcloud.com/hakawatieh/set...
Watch Sally’s performance وأنا شفت:    • وأنا شفت... العرض الرابع  
Watch Sally’s Ted Talk:    • Kan ya makan; reviving the tradition of st...  
Follow Hakaya on Instagram (@hakayanetwork):   / hakayanetwork  

Chapters:

00:00 Imagining Liberation
00:24 Meet Sally Shalabi
01:20 Opening Riddle
03:09 Why Stories Matter
06:01 Hakawati & Oral Tradition
08:57 Stories Across Cultures
10:51 The Ghoul in Folklore
13:16 Writing New Tales
15:20 The Art of Performance
18:52 Reclaiming Baybars Epic
25:04 Zaghareed Explained
31:52 Oral Histories Shift
34:57 Witnessing Resistance
37:49 Storytelling & Liberation
44:47 Supporting Independent Artists
47:30 Final Riddle