Backstage: Ahmed Eid at Nawafiz Festival

Palestinian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Ahmed Eid operates from a space where music is a form of communication.

For Eid, the role of the musician exists somewhere between a messenger and a magician. There’s always a message that needs to be delivered, but in a way that cuts through tactfully, especially in a time where art and politics can no longer be separated.

Ahead of his live performance at Nawafiz festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands, we caught up with Eid, who shed some insight into his approach and messaging.

His songwriting doesn’t lean on slogans or direct language. Instead, it unfolds through layered, sometimes metaphorical storytelling. There’s often a political current running through the work, but it doesn’t announce itself loudly, with the emotion, detail, and context doing all the talking.

Splitting his time between Palestine and Germany, Eid is no stranger to the ways repression and censorship can show up. He’s seen firsthand how European institutions try to silence voices like his, which only strengthens his conviction to speak louder, clearer, and more collectively.

This is why Eid states that it is more important than ever for artists to raise their voices even louder, and for Arab communities to come together in these difficult times.

Watch the full interview here: