Oct 25 • Book talk + readings : Hidden Companions – Jenna Hamed and Ahmad Nabil
A discussion between Jenna Hamed and Ahmad Nabil about the importance of documenting jinn stories as part of Palestine's cultural intangible heritage.
The event will include a reading of selected excerpts from the forthcoming English translation of Hidden Companions: Paranormal Stories from the Old City of Jerusalem. The discussion will delve into how these stories are documented and shared through the work of The Fiction Council, a Jerusalem-based organization dedicated to fostering Palestinian imagination.
The book, originally written in Arabic by Ahmad Nabil and published in Jerusalem, includes research on Palestine’s mythologies and legends, as well as writings and drawings of paranormal encounters by Palestinians in Jerusalem.
A preorder link for the book will be shared at the event.
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In Hidden Companions, the author takes us on a journey through the streets of the Old City and beyond, where invisible beings are not feared, but rather accepted as natural companions. This collection of paranormal narratives explores the deeply rooted belief in unseen forces that have long been part of Palestinian cultural heritage. The book is not just a literary exploration, but a call to acknowledge and preserve these stories as integral elements of our non-material folk heritage.
The people interviewed throughout the process shared their experiences with an almost casual acceptance of the paranormal, revealing a profound sense of harmony between the seen and the unseen worlds. This book is a tribute to those hidden realms, as well as an invitation to consider the forgotten dimensions of our daily lives.
The Fiction Council is a Palestinian community-based nonprofit organization in Jerusalem, founded in 2015 to serve as a creative space for the community, particularly young creatives, to explore and develop their imaginations. The Council’s mission is to preserve and promote Palestinian intangible heritage, primarily in the fields of folktales, superstitions, and ancient legends, through all possible creative means. It also aims to bridge the gap between the community and their imaginative heritage, recognizing imagination as the Palestinians’ ultimate tool for change.
Ahmad Nabil is a visual artist, practitioner, and researcher in the fields of Arab and Islamic mythology and paranormal phenomena. He focuses on their relationship to land, natural resources, and their integration into intangible heritage for the preservation of land and collective memory. In 2015, he founded The Fiction Council in Jerusalem.
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FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
7pm
Limited seating capacity
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