Defying the Universe — Samah Sabawi

 

 Art "Behind the Wall" (2026) by Sara Khayat 

Defying the Universe- Samah Sabawi  

Are your loved ones trapped behind the wall 

Do they need the army’s permission

For their prayers to reach the sky 

For their love to cross the ocean 

And touch your thirsty heart 

Are your loved ones trapped  

Do you yearn to be in your family home 

And when you call them 

Do they always say  

“we are well, alhamdollelah” 

Does it surprise you  

That they are whole  

But you… you are broken 

Must they always worry about you 

Urge you to have faith in your exile 

Must they pity you 

For not breathing the air 

Of your ancestors’ land 

Must they always comfort you 

Even when the bombs are falling 

Do you ever wonder who is walled in 

Is it you, or is it them 

And when it finally dawns upon you 

That their dignity sets them free 

Do you feel ashamed of your liberty  

Are your loved ones trapped behind the wall 

Do they tell you stories 

Of how they survive 

The trees they’ve replanted 

The homes they’ve rebuilt 

Do they assure you life goes on 

Old men still fiddle with their prayer beads 

Mothers still bake mamoul on Eid 

Families still gather under the canopies 

With loaded bunches of grapes 

Dangling above their heads T

hey nibble on watermelon seeds 

They drink meramiah tea 

Women perfect the art of match-making 

Men talk of freedom and democracy 

Children climb on a sycamore tree 

Lovers woe in secrecy 

And no matter how the conditions are adverse 

Do your loved ones defy this universe 

Your loved ones defy this universe

Dr Samah Sabawi is an award-winning  Palestinian author, playwright, poet..scholar, and political commentator   born in Gaza whose work weaves art and resistance into powerful expressions of identity, memory, and hope .Samah  wrote Defying the Universe during the aftermath of Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2008-2009. 

Her memoir Cactus Pear for My Beloved has been shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize, The Age Book of the Year and the NSW Literary Awards Douglas Stewart Prize, the book was also highly commended by the Victoria Premier’s Literary Awards. Sabawi’s theatre credits include the award-winning plays Tales of a City by the Sea (2016) and THEM (2019). In 2020 Samah received the prestigious Green Room Award for Best Writing in the independent theatre category and was shortlisted for both the NSW and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.She is currently residing in Melbourne Australia. https://samahsabawi.com/about-samah-sabawi/

While Sabawi’s poem expresses the guilt Palestinians in diaspora feel when thinking of loved ones back home, Jelec’s animation video tries to take the message further so it can resonate with a larger audience.

Video animation by Marta Jelec  

Music: Bonobo- Recurring  

Marta Jelec made this stop motion animation for a project she’s did for a Digital and Cyberculture Studies module. She explains “Sabawi’s poem, originally written in English and published online, describes the internal struggles her husband faces when confronting the guilt of leaving his family behind in Palestine, while he lives his life of ‘liberty’. By creating an animation of the poem, I aim to make the poetry more accessible to an English speaking, non Palestinian audience, by using non-ethnicised characters and simple and symbolic imagery. I aim to increase the possibility of empathy within digital audiences outside of Palestine”.

Sara Khayat is a feminist graphic designer, illustrator, and visual artist from Syria. She was born in Damascus and studied graphic design at the International University for Science and Technology (IUST Syria), located in the city of Ghabagheb.  

Khayat’s work is focused on women’s, LGBTQI+, and refugee rights, using illustration and graphic design to support a wide range of social justice causes, including challenging gender stereotypes and gender-based violence. 

Sara has worked for and with a variety of organisations across Turkey, Lebanon, and Europe. Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Khayat has worked on documenting human rights violations by all parties involved in the conflict and the oral histories of women detained by the Syrian regime.

Sara Khayat has been involved in campaigns and advocacy missions through organisations such as Right to Remain UK, and Liberated T, sponsored by the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, amongst others. 

As a freelance designer, Sara has worked with several civil society organisations, including the Syrian Child Protection Network, The A Project, and Dammeh, focused on the rights of children, women, and LGBTQI+ people. 

Due to the focus and the nature of her work, Sara Khayat fled Syria for Turkey in 2015. 

At the beginning of 2023, Sara arrived in Sweden and took up the ICORN residency in Gävle City of Refuge.  In Sweden, Sara continues her work, including an art project exploring the connection between the human body and its surrounding, and plans to collaborate with local artists working on mutual topics of interest.  

You can find more about   Sara Khayat’s art  here   at her portfolio https://sarakhayat.com/about-me/ and  at Behance https://www.behance.net/sarakhayat