Alaa Abd el-Fattah in conversation with Farah Barqawi

In this episode of the PalFest Podcast we have the writer and political theorist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, in his first extended conversation since being released from prison in Egypt, with the poet and performer, Farah Barqawi.  In this wide-ranging conversation the two friends discuss shared memories of Gaza, where Farah’s family is from and where Alaa visited with PalFest in 2012, distance and alienation, personal crises and more. It’s a heartfelt, personal talk between two people who have not seen each other for many years and whose lives are among the millions upended by the ongoing colonial assault on the region. This episode was recorded between London and New York on March 2nd, 2026. --- Check out the new PalFest online publication The Key here Subscribe to the PalFest Bookshelf here Find us on our website or our socials: Insta: @palfest Bluesky: @palfest.bsky.social YouTube: @Palfest