Rhythms of Memory | London // Syria

In this episode, we spotlight Qisetna, a digital platform seeking to preserve the cultural heritage of communities affected by conflict and displacement. Qisetna was founded in London in 2013 in response to the conflict in Syria. The organisation originally sought to reframe the narrative of those being displaced through the practice of sharing stories. The organisation encouraged Syrians of all backgrounds and denominations to capture their memories, producing a rich archive of different stories. Today we get a glimpse into how Qisetna uses storytelling in its many forms in order to protect cultural heritage.  I spoke with Sarah Barker, who volunteers her time to write articles and manage Qisetna’s digital content.

Qisetna acts as a platform for outreach, advocacy, community involvement and research. This means that they actively contribute to collaborations such as the UNESCO Unite4Heritage project and have also produced their own storytelling workshops.

Throughout this episode, you hear music from Maya Youssef, Dima Orsho, The Nefes School and Nawa Band.  Qisetna has also written a contribution for “Amplify: Make the Future of Europe Yours,” Culture Action Europe’s project that brings underrepresented voices within the cultural sector to  EU decision-makers.

“Frequencies” is a podcast that explores arts and cultural initiatives that seek to impact and transform communities, near and far. Each episode features the work, voices, and experiences of artists and cultural workers across Europe and beyond. “Frequencies”, a production of Culture Action Europe, lives at the intersection of culture and politics by focusing on the power cultural practices and agents have in nurturing inclusive, open, diverse, fair and democratic societies.

Hosted by Maya Weisinger

Music: "納骨堂 (johnny_ripper remix)" by Tide Jewel