Nemat Battah

I am a Palestinian Jordanian singer, oud player, composer and educator. My artistic activity and research focuses on using traditional Arabic music as the basis of creating transcultural projects. In my band Staerna I am exploring the similarities that exist between Swedish, Norwegian and Arabic folk music. I also work with two other projects in Finland; with Kantele player Juulia Salo, we create children's music in Arabic and Finnish using the traditional Arabic maqams. And with Kari Ikonen; the inventor of Maqiano (a patented, portable microtuning system that enables pianists to play the maqamat and other microtones on the acoustic piano) and percussionist Mamba Assefa we created trio Wishamalii where we play a selection of Arabic traditional songs, and original compositions. I am also interested in finding ways to process generational war trauma through art and music. For instance, in my latest autoethnographic arts-based research (Something Like Home) I return to the gift of music in my life and use it as the ultimate form of expression. I explore the process of navigating my own transgenerational trauma through composing and working with musicians from different musical and cultural backgrounds. Something like home explored the effect of finding common ground of love and compassion between my family members, especially those who have been navigating the traumas of war. When I lived in Jordan, I worked with refugee communities in different settings. Through my work in the Global music at Sibelius Academy, I continue my interest in initiating and leading community engagement projects to build bridges between communities outside the university and students from inside the university, as well as leading global community projects.

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