Oh my Lord,
I do not want to be a poet in times of war.
— Hend Jouda
In collaboration with Espace Magh, we are proud to present a trilingual poetry anthology by Palestinian poets Hend Jouda, Fatena Al Ghorra, Nour Baaloucha and Wadah Abu Jami, accompanied by Charles Ducal. In GAZA, Is er een leven vóór de dood? / Y a-t-il une vie avant la mort ? (GAZA, Is there life before death ?) they bear witness to the war on Gaza and to the resilience of the people of Palestine: poems as an act of resistance in a space where all hope seems to be crushed.
Edited by Mohamed Ikoubaân and Taha Adnan, the book consists of three parts: the Arabic poems, their French rendering, and newly translated Dutch versions which were realized in collaboration with the research Unit of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Leuven (KUL). The poems in Arabic (Palestine) and French by Fatena Al Ghorra, Nour Baaloucha, and Hend Jouda are taken from the book of the same name, an anthology of contemporary Gaza poetry translated by Abdellatif Laâbi and compiled by Yassin Adnan (Éditions Points, 2025).
Across these languages, poetry figures as a bulwark against the degradation of humanity. The book forms a tribute to those who continue to carry out the voice of their people in spite of their occupation and annihilation.
The poetry collection was published on the occasion of the eponymous program that took place on June 24, 2025, at Espace Magh: an evening where poetry was recited as a tribute, as an echo of dignity and solidarity. As Taha Adnan indicates in the foreword: We did not want to play the role of spokesperson. Here, Gaza has the word.
In order to amplify the urgency of these poems as widely as possible, the publication will be freely distributed online: you can download it in pdf-form through this link, which will remain permanently accessible on our website. Physical copies are available for sale for 7 euros at a few independent bookstores in Brussels: rile*, PassaPorta, and Librairie Météores.
COLOPHON
Artistic coordination: Taha Adnan en Mohamed Ikoubaân
Editorial coordination: Phillip Van den Bossche
Texts:
Fatena Al Ghorra
Hend Jouda
Nour Baaloucha
Wadah Abu Jamie
Charles Ducal
Taha Adnan
Translations:
Abdellatif Laâbi
Taha Adnan
Jean-Marie Gerard
Danielle Losman et le Collectif des Traducteurs de Passa Porta
Nisrine Mbarki
Heleen Mercelis
Roumaisa Boulbahaim
Hanna Jacobs
Dilara Karataş
Freya Moonen en Jade Gevers
Graphic design:
Joud Toamah
Image:
Ismaïl Matar
A collaboration with Espace Magh.
With support from: Vlaamse Gemeenschap, VGC
