A Magical Substance Flows into Me

Screens with Famous in Ahmedabad

When Jewish ethnomusicologist, Robert Lachmann, created his 1930s programme ‘Oriental Music’ for Palestinian radio, he couldn’t have imagined how much the coming decades would change his region of interest and its people. Now, Palestinian artist Jumana Manna retraces Lachmann’s spiritual-musical journey throughout the Israeli/Palestinian territories, conjuring up the sounds of the ancient, but still-remembered past. To the strains of the Bedouin rababa and the Kurdish tanbur, from courtyards to steam-filled kitchens, the magic of music subverts the official narrative of Israel, Palestine, Jews, Arabs and the distinctions between them. A Magical Substance Flows Through Me is a auditory treat, a bouquet of culture, history and textures; a shared heart-beat, that transcends time and borders.