The New Year began in a deepening world disorder. While Israel – despite the ceasefire – continues its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, further worsening the catastrophic conditions in which Palestinian civilians live, international politics is increasingly being shaped openly by imperial power, military force, and the logic of conflict.
Abdaljawad Omar & Basil Farraj
Talk on Thursday, 26 February, 2026, at 6 pm
Filodrammatica, large hall (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka)
As global attention shifts ever more toward other flashpoints of geopolitical ambition, Palestine is increasingly fading from view. In addition to the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank is also passing largely under the radar.
According to UN data, last year saw a record number of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, with more than 1,800 documented violent incidents. Already in the first days of the year, the Israeli army carried out a raid at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank, injuring eleven Palestinian students.
It is from Birzeit University, where both work as professors, that leading Palestinian philosopher Abdaljawad Omar and anthropologist Basil Farraj are coming to Croatia for the first time.
Under the title Palestine: Life Is Resistance, the two speakers will share their personal testimonies, present the situation in the occupied West Bank, and deepen understanding of both the possibilities and the limits of Palestinian resistance – on Thursday, February 26, from 6 PM at Filodrammatica, Rijeka.
They will be joined in discussion by writer and political scientist Saša Savanović, theorist and translator Stipe Ćurković, as well as the Rijeka audience. The event is organized by Drugo more, ISSA – School of Autonomy, and the Center for Theoretical and Critical Research of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka.
Admission is free. The talk will be held in English
MORE ABOUT THE GUESTS:
Abdaljawad Omar is a Palestinian writer,based in Ramallah, Palestine. He serves as an Assistant/Adjunct Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at Birzeit University, where he teaches and conducts research on political theory, decolonial thought, and the intellectual history of Palestinian resistance. Omar regularly publishes essays and articles in outlets such as Mondoweiss and contributes to international discussions on colonialism, resistance, and Middle Eastern politics.
Basil Farraj is the Director of the Ibrahim Abu Lughod Institute of International Studies, and an assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural studies, Birzeit University. Basil’s research addresses the intersections of memory, resistance, and art by prisoners and others at the receiving end of violence. Basil has conducted research in several countries including Chile, Colombia, and Palestine.
Saša Savanović is a novelist, essayist and non-fiction author. She has published two critically acclaimed novels (Deseti život, 2018 and Novo Sada, 2022), along with a wide range of articles, essays, research studies and popular commentary. She lives in Komiža and Rijeka.
Stipe Ćurković is a translator and a member of the Program Committee of the Subversive Forum, the theoretical and discursive segment of the Subversive Festival. He lives and works in Zagreb.
organizers:
Drugo more, ISSA – School of Autonomy, Center for Theoretical and Critical Research of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka
Supported by:
Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Rijeka – Administrative department of education and schooling, culture, sports and youth
Drugo more is a beneficiary of the financial support of the Kultura nova Foundation
Drugo more is a beneficiary of the institutional support of the National Foundation for Civil Society Development for the stabilization and/or development of the association
The program is realized in the framework of Year-round Refleks program.
Association of organisations Molekula manages Filodrammatica
Palestina: Život je otpor
Nova godina započela je produbljivanjem svjetske krize. Dok Izrael – unatoč primirju – nastavlja bombardiranje Gaze, dodatno pogoršavajući katastrofalne uvjete u kojima žive palestinski civili, međunarodnu politiku sve otvorenije oblikuje imperijalna moć, vojna sila i logika sukoba.
I dok se svjetska pažnja sve više usmjerava na druge žarišne točke geopolitičkih apetita, Palestina se sve više gubi iz fokusa. Osim nastavka katastrofe u Gazi, ispod radara prolazi i eskalacija nasilja u okupiranoj Zapadnoj obali.
Prema podacima UN-a, prošle je godine zabilježen rekordan broj napada izraelskih doseljenika na Palestince na Zapadnoj obali, s preko 1800 dokumentiranih nasilnih incidenata. Već u prvim danima godine, izraelska vojska izvršila je raciju na Sveučilištu Birzeit na okupiranoj Zapadnoj obali, ozlijedivši pritom jedanaest palestinskih studenata.
Upravo sa sveučilišta Birzeit, gdje obojica rade kao profesori, po prvi puta u Hrvatsku stižu vodeći palestinski filozof Abdaljawad Omar i antropolog Basil Farraj.
S početkom u 18 sati, u četvrtak 26. veljače u riječkoj Filodrammatici pod naslovovom Palestina: život je otpor obojica će izložiti vlastita svjedočanstva, predstaviti situaciju u okupiranoj Zapadnoj obali, ali i produbiti razumijevanje mogućnosti i nemogućnosti palestinskog otpora.
U razgovoru će im se pridružiti književnica i politologinja Saša Savanović i teoretičar i prevoditelj Stipe Ćurković, te riječka publika. Organizatori događaja udruge su Drugo more i ISSA – Škola autonomije, te Centar za teorijska i kritička istraživanja riječkog Filozofskog fakulteta.
- Ulaz je slobodan. Program se održava na engleskom jeziku.
Abdaljawad Omar i Basil Farraj
VIŠE O GOSTIMA:
Abdaljawad Omar je palestinski pisac i filozof iz Ramale u Palestini. Radi kao asistent/vanredni profesor na Odjelu za filozofiju i kulturne studije Sveučilišta Birzeit, gdje predaje i provodi istraživanja o političkoj teoriji, dekolonijalnoj misli i intelektualnoj povijesti palestinskog otpora. Omar redovito objavljuje eseje i članke doprinosi međunarodnim raspravama o kolonijalizmu, otporu i bliskoistočnoj politici.
Basil Farraj je ravnatelj Instituta za međunarodne studije Ibrahim Abu Lughod i docent na Odjelu za filozofiju i kulturne studije Sveučilišta Birzeit. Basilovo istraživanje bavi se presjecima sjećanja, otpora i umjetnosti kod zatvorenika i drugih koji su žrtve nasilja. Basil je provodio istraživanja u nekoliko zemalja, uključujući Čile, Kolumbiju i Palestinu.
Saša Savanović je književnica i politologinja, piše prozu, esejistiku i publicistiku. Objavila je romane Deseti život i Novo Sada, kao i niz priča, eseja i kolumni. Živi u Komiži i u Rijeci.
Stipe Ćurković je prevoditelj i član Programskog odbora Subversive foruma, teorijsko-diskurzivnog dijela Subversive Festivala. Živi i radi u Zagrebu.
Organizatori:
Drugo more, ISSA – Škola autonomije, Centar za teorijska i kritička istraživanja Filozofskog fakulteta u Rijeci
Program podržali:
Ministarstvo kulture i medija RH, Grad Rijeka – Upravni odjel za odgoj i obrazovanje, kulturu, sport i mlade
Drugo more je korisnik financijske podrške Zaklade Kultura nova
Drugo more je korisnik institucionalne podrške Nacionalne zaklade za razvoj civilnoga društva za stabilizaciju i/ili razvoj udruge
Program se održava u okviru Cjelogodišnjeg programa Refleks.
Prostorima Filodrammatice upravlja Savez udruga Molekula
