Ljubljana – Zaytoun News
With music against the thunder of bombs, and singing against the cries of pain, the Floating Castle Festival in Slovenia became a stage of resistance and humanity. From August 7 to 10, the festival succeeded in symbolically breaking the blockade of Gaza by establishing a live online and radio connection between international artists and Palestinian musicians under siege.
On the evening of August 7, performers and visitors at Snežnik Castle held their breath as the connection with Gaza was attempted. The image of Samar Al Banna, leader of the Ahazeej Children’s Choir in Gaza, froze on the castle walls when the video transmission faltered. The silence carried the weight of uncertainty. Finally, the connection came alive, the voices and music from Gaza crossed the blockade, joining hands with musicians from around the world in a shared concert event.
This fragile but powerful link created a temporary humanitarian corridor, breaking through Israel’s effort, ongoing since 2007, to cut Gaza off from the world. The blockade has caused immense humanitarian suffering, banning even musical instruments from entering Gaza. Before launching what Palestinians and their supporters call genocide, Israel tried to strip them of their humanity, silencing music, culture, and art. In Gaza, every note played, every song sung, has become an act of resistance, a fight for survival, a way to preserve cultural heritage and national identity. It is a cry for dignity, freedom, rights, and life itself.
Among the most emotional moments of the festival was the remembrance of ten-year-old Sarah Hamed Al Qarnawi, a member of the Ahazeej Children’s Choir, who was scheduled to perform via video link. Sarah never got the chance to sing. On August 2, just days before the concert, she and her family were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.
In her honor, the Etno Histeria World Orchestra, which brought together 78 musicians from 23 countries, performed the Palestinian song La Tetlaa’i. During the performance, they read the statement “I am Sarah”, a collective vow that Sarah’s memory would live on: “For a person to truly die, they should also be forgotten. Sarah will never be forgotten. She will always live in our hearts, in which we will cherish and protect her memory. She will live with us as long as we live. And as long as we live, we will strive for the lives of all Palestinian children and for the freedom of the Palestinian people. We are Sarah!”
The concert, broadcast live by Palestinian radio station Oruba 93.3 FM, which covers Gaza and the West Bank, proved that the blockade can be broken in different ways. Against bombs and censorship, music created a bridge of humanity.
Festival solidarity continued throughout the four days with public discussions and plenums focused on coordinating international campaigns in support of Palestine. Musicians, activists, and participants reflected on how global civil society can act to stop the bloodshed.
Matija Solce, festival director and leader of the Etno Histeria World Orchestra, urged audiences to move beyond statements: “We must stop just warning each other about the atrocities in Gaza. We must take it to the streets, block roads, and carry out civil disobedience to do whatever we can to end the bloodshed in Gaza.”
The Floating Castle is not just a festival. It is a large, diverse, and colorful community of dedicated people from across the world who understand that as long as one community suffers, humanity as a whole suffers.
The struggle of the Palestinian people for survival has become a global symbol, the struggle of the oppressed against oppression, of dignity against dehumanization, of life against genocide. Yet, while communities unite in solidarity, many governments aligned with Israel are stifling freedom of speech and expression, sending police to silence protesters, and pushing societies deeper into authoritarianism.
The message from Slovenia was clear, the dead are calling on the living to wake up. The memory of Sarah and countless others demands that the world resist, act, and refuse silence.Palestine will be free or the world will not be. With respect and humanness.
The collective heart of the Floating Castle Festival, in the name of Sarah Hamed Al Qarnawi, beating for Gaza and Palestine, here and now, everywhere and forever.
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