Preserving Palestine by GRAZIA Middle East

For the ninth and final episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke Belly, the multi-award winning hip hop artist, rapper, songwriter and record producer. Belly, who was born in Jenin and lived across the Middle East before relocating to Canada and eventually the United States, was signed by major record labels including XO, Roc Nation and more. He's also collaborated with several artists and has written songs for Beyoncé and The Weeknd. His latest album, Mumble Rap 2 is set to be released this month.

For the eighth episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to MC Abdul, the 14 year old rapper based in Gaza. Abdul gained instantaneous fame after he posted a video rapping in front of his refugee school when he was just 11 years old, and has ever since won the hearts of thousands across the globe. He has been signed by Empire Records and has an upcoming mix tape called "I May Be Young" set to be released soon.

For the seventh episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to Sarah Bahbah, the Palestinian-Australian LA based artist and director. Sarah is best known for her romantic, relatable and unapologetically expressive artwork, where she marries evocative imagery with catchy and poignant one-liners, all inspired by her own life experiences.

In this special episode, Host and GRAZIA's Digital Editor Leen Al Saadi invited Hani Dajani, fellow Palestinian host of the viral podcast, Yalla Let's Talk. The two hosts interview each other simultaneously, becoming interviewees for the first time. They discuss they power of podcasting as a form of consuming media, the inspiration behind starting their shows and why it is important to both of them to leave an impact on the world.

For the fifth episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to Meera Albaba, the designer behind her namesake label, Meera Adnan. Meera is know for her whimsical, feminine and romantic designs tat pay an homage to the city she resides in, Gaza. Meera shares her insight from personal experience on why it is impossible to operate a brand from within Gaza, and shares why she wants people to value her for her talent, rather than as a way to support Palestine.

For the fourth episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to Zeid Hijazi, the Palestinian-Jordanian designer who is getting one step closer each day to accomplishing his dreams of becoming a creative director of a luxury fashion house. Zeid discusses what it was like to win the Debut Talent Prize from Fashion Trust Arabia in 2020 and to get validation from some of his mentors such as Olivier Rousteing and Giambattista Valli, as well as why it can be problematic for him to be compared to Palestinians living under occupation.

For the third episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to Lina Hadid, the lawyer, negotiator and activist. Lina tells us how she's influenced her family to raise awareness for the Palestinian cause, how she got sucker-punched, and why she loves writing "Free Palestine" on her Chanel bags.

For the second episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we spoke to Shukri Lawrence, the co-creative director and co-founder of Palestinian satirical ready-to-wear label, Trashy Clothing. Shukri tells us how he and and his business partner Omar Braika are deconstructing the definition of luxury through their witty story-telling. He also tells us about the moment they saw Bella Hadid wearing their 'Free Palestine' tank top in collaboration with Berlin-based label GmbH.

For the first episode on season two of Preserving Palestine, we're releasing an episode with Lina Abu Akleh, which was initially recorded in November 2022. We decided to postpone the air date of this special episode to coincide with the season two launch of Preserving Palestine and International Women's Day, as Lina and her aunt, the martyred Shireen Abu Akleh, have both become female icons to not only the nation of Palestine, but to women around the globe. In this episode, Lina talks about her life before the murder of her aunt, the journalist and news anchor Shireen, and how she has been dedicating her entire life to demanding justice for her beloved aunt.

For the seventh and final episode on season one of Preserving Palestine, we speak to singer and performer Elyanna. She shows a side of her that's different from the powerful and alluring woman we see on stages around the world, and she opens up about the magnanimous transition she faced when she left her hometown of Nazareth to California, after being signed by one of the largest music record labels in the world.