From October 1, 2025, to early 2026, Le Rocher de Palmer welcomed Palestinian musician and composer Mohammad Kahla for a three-month residency. Hailing from Ramoun, near Ramallah, and trained with the renowned association Al Kamandjati, Kahla transformed this residency into a journey that balanced rigorous artistic creation with meaningful human encounters. The experience allowed him to forge a rare and intimate connection between his homeland and the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
The Art of Connection and Collaboration
Artist residencies are often seen as periods of creative withdrawal, but for Kahla, this was a time of radical openness. Hosted through the Sawa Sawa program, the oud player devoted this time to refining his project “Lemma”, a fusion of music and poetry that explores memory, identity, and hope. More than anything, it was an opportunity to engage with diverse musical worlds and expand his artistic horizons.
This intensive creative work reached a high point on December 4, when Kahla opened for Dafné Kritharas in the main hall of Le Rocher (la 650). The performance allowed him to share his compositions with a broad audience, before continuing with more intimate shows, including appearances at La Cabane du Monde and Le Pas-de-Lune on December 13 with the Arab Orchestra Choirs.
Outreach as a Space for Reflection
Yet the true richness of this residency extends beyond traditional stages. Kahla’s outreach program resembled a human marathon, spanning schools, healthcare facilities, and social centers. These encounters were never one-sided. By sharing his story, his experiences in Palestine, and the life of his instrument, he offered audiences a form of public introspection—revealing music as, in his words, “a path of resistance, beauty, and transmission.”
Responses were as diverse as the audiences themselves: from the technical curiosity of PESMD students to the immediate emotional connection with a Bulgarian family at the RABA social center in Bègles. Whether in English with high schoolers or in Arabic with elders at Espace Textile, Kahla did more than perform; he shared his humanity. As he says, “I would give half my life to see a child smile, and the other half to prevent a flower from wilting.”
The Fruit of Intercultural Collaboration
This residency embodies the philosophy that guides Le Rocher de Palmer: to allow an artist to grow while enriching the community that hosts them. The Sawa Sawa program is dedicated to promoting the Palestinian artistic scene in France, made possible with the support of the Institut Français de Jérusalem.
