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V&A Releases Recordings on Culture and Conflict in Gaza and Afghanistan

  • Frazer Macdonald Hay
  • May 20
  • 2 min read



Now Available: Culture in Crisis Event Recordings — GAZA & AFGHANISTAN


Plus: Thread Memory – Embroidery from Palestine Opens 26 June at V&A Dundee



The V&A’s Culture in Crisis programme has made available two powerful event recordings that spotlight the urgent intersection of cultural heritage, conflict, and resilience.


Culture in Crisis: GAZA

Recorded April 2025, V&A South KensingtonThis in-person event brought together Palestinian artists, cultural organisers, and activists to discuss the catastrophic impact of conflict on Gaza’s arts and cultural infrastructure.

Since October 2023, Gaza has faced the destruction of cultural institutions, studios, archives, and the deaths of many cultural workers. The conversation explored:

  • What has been lost across Gaza’s art and cultural landscape

  • How Palestinian practitioners are salvaging and sustaining their work

  • Visions of liberation beyond the status quo

  • The future of creativity, resilience, and cultural identity amid erasure


Speakers included:

  • Mohamed Abusal – Artist; Co-founder of Eltiqa and the HAWAF collective

  • Aser El Saqqa – Cultural organiser and activist; Founder of Arts Canteen

  • Dima Srouji – Architect, artist; Tutor, MA City Design, Royal College of Art

  • Malak Mattar – Artist and writer; MA Fine Art, Central St Martins

  • Venetia Porter – Honorary Research Fellow, British Museum (Moderator)


Watch the full recording here:



Culture in Crisis: Afghanistan – Breathing Life into Heritage in a Fragile State

Recorded February 2025, V&A South KensingtonThis earlier event brought together two cultural professionals who have worked in Afghanistan for over 17 years. Their conversation focused on engaging with local communities, sustaining creative practices under pressure, and the role of heritage protection as a vital part of peacebuilding and reconciliation.


Watch the Afghanistan recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t4fxbybllU



Thread Memory – Embroidery from Palestine

Opening 26 June 2025 V&A Dundee This forthcoming display explores Palestinian embroidery as a deeply rooted cultural practice and a form of resistance, memory, and identity. Featuring traditional and contemporary works, Thread Memory responds to cultural erasure by celebrating the vibrancy and resilience of Palestinian heritage.

These events and exhibitions form part of the V&A’s Culture in Crisis Programme and Jameel Programming, which support and amplify cultural voices in times of crisis.



 
 
F.M.H..... MLitt Peace & Conflict, Msc Architectural Conservation BA (Hons) Int. Architecture; MCSD, PgC TLHE
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