Palestinian musicians join London band in new Easter single

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Palestinian multi-instrumentalists Charlie Rishmawi and Miguel Khair have joined forces with London band Ooberfuse in this poignant musical lament: Dying Son, highlighting one mother's devastating grief at the loss of her child. More than 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza in the past five months - thousands more are missing under the rubble or suffering from starvation.

Hal St John, from Ooberfuse says: "A natural response to a life cut prematurely short is to seek reprisals, to implore with every fibre of one's being "Why did this happen to me?" Counter intuitively, against the base instinct to seek revenge, the song finds forgiveness in the midst of the grief and the red mist demanding retribution. Confronted by the morbid spectacle of her dying son the mother, with supernatural energy, whispers a shaming reproach to those thirsting for blood: 'I still love my enemies.' "

Charlie Rishmawi (oud and vocals) said: "in the last months we witnessed the full horrors of modern warfare in which the sophistications of modern technology are used to destroy the defenceless on an industrial scale. We were happy to work with some London musicians to explore the possibilities through music of finding a pathway through the rubble left behind when the bombs have been dropped."

Cherrie Anderson, from Ooberfuse, added: "this Easter season provides a parallel narrative to the recent events that have been unfolding in the Holy Land. The quest for retribution and the relentless cycle of hatred and violence must be broken if peace is to return to the Holy Land. Through the up-close portrayal of a mother's grief that is depicted in our lament Dying Son it is possible to discern that hatred has no future and that only love, even love of an enemy, is the pathway to lasting peace."

Miguel Khair (percussion and vocals) said: "We met Ooberfuse in Jordan's capital Amman a few days ago to film the music video. After Egypt, Jordan has the lowest level of yearly rainfall. Yet on the day of the shoot a literal monsoon deluged the streets of Amman. It was as though the combined tears of mothers and fathers, grieving the loss of their children brutally killed in the savagery of the present war, were falling from skies to remind us of their pain. To escape the rain we drove an hour from Amman to the Dead Sea. The video concludes with a capture of the sun setting on Jericho and Jerusalem on the far bank. Working with local videographer Momen Jarrar on the video adds another dimension to the audio inspiring empathy, fostering understanding, and advocating for peace in a world plagued by conflict and division."

Proceeds of the song will go to families most in need in Gaza and the West Bank via Friends of the Holy Land, a UK based charity. Through its office in Bethlehem, it is well placed to get urgent, personalised aid to the families most in need in Gaza and the West Bank and will make sure the most in need are helped quickly by the proceeds from the song.

LINKS

Watch 'Dying Son' here: https://youtu.be/Feu6eGFUW50?si=E5WNP7Hrv2qmJH30

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2RCCOH4fMZSBhTOMeeSGtn?si=LssJ8Hk3RuuoX71up5fT1g

Ooberfuse: www.ooberfuse.com/

Friends of the Holy Land appeal: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/Appeal/hope