Earlier this year, Ms. Sama’ Abdulhadi, a world-renowned DJ and Producer from Palestine, was commissioned by Beatport to create a monthly music streaming “Residency” series highlighting the musical and cultural developments of the Middle Eastern electronic music scene. Over a one month residency of five hours per week, Beatport collaborated with Ms. Sama' Abdulhadi to showcase the best DJs from different regions of the Middle East, including Abdulhadi herself.
As part of this effort to draw international attention to the importance of the heritage and history of the country of Palestine, Ms. Abdulhadi selected the Maqam Nabi Musa (Tomb of the Prophet Moses) in Jericho, just outside Jerusalem, for a single event (on Saturday, December 26th). The site had been frequently used for concerts and events in the past and Ms. Abdulhadi obtained the necessary permits from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism to host a private event. Ms. Abdulhadi and her team selected approximately forty people, all adhering to social distancing policies, to join in the private, recorded event that was to be broadcast in January on Beatport’s media channels.
The site, Maqam Nabi Musa, is under the custody of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism who gave written approval to organize and film the concert in the Bazaar site, which is separated from the holy sites within the complex. The European Union, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, had recently pledged more than €5m to renovate the site for various cultural events and gatherings to supoprt the on-going development of cultural tourism in the Palestinian controlled territories. Ms. Abdulhadi believes she and her team acted with good intent and adhered to all licensing arrangements with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism.
Beatport is actively working with Ms. Abdulhadi’s team in the hopes of gaining her immediate release from detention. In addition, Beatport hopes to connect with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism.
Sama' Abdulhadi’s “Residency” is part of an ongoing Beatport series, which Beatport planned to stream in the early months of 2021. Beatport is the leading streaming and retail platform for electronic music worldwide. During the COVID-19 era, it has been connecting communities of artists and music fans worldwide with live streams every weekend, including raising substantial monies to support those impacted by the bombing in Beirut, those suffering from mental illness due to the pandemic, and music schools in South Africa.
