Marah

Artist-in-residence
Project: Lululeesh

“We aim to perform with our body as a protest.”

Marah Haj Hussein is a dancer, actress, and maker from occupied Palestine, currently based in Antwerp. In her work, she explores power structures embedded in language, often merging theater and dance into physical, political, and poetic encounters on stage. During Welcome To Our Guesthouse she collaborates with choreographer and artivist Nur Garabli, known for her work with contemporary Palestinian dabke.

In Lululeesh the two artists move through the intimate lineage of grandmother–mother–daughter to reclaim the female body as a site of resilience under occupation. Their starting point is the Zaghrouda - a traditional ululation by women performed in both celebration and mourning. By reimagining this ritual, they explore how ancestral knowledge, inherited gestures and political urgency can meet in embodied protest.

Combining movement, voice, soundscapes and visual symbolism, Lululeesh challenges patriarchal expectations while creating space for collective memory, resistance and female agency.

Concept and performance Marah Haj Hussein & Nur Garabli
Dramaturgy Krystel Khoury
Light design Pol Seif
Music composition Verena Rizzo