On Revolution – in Palestine, Syria and beyond

Ticket price:

Full $35

concession/unwaged/First Nations/Palestinian/Syrian $15

Bringing together Palestinian, Jewish and Syrian voices, this conversation will weave together the stories of Holocaust survivors, Syrian activists and Palestinian poets. Together, our panelists will explore what it means to fight for freedom, justice and dignity when the odds are stacked against you.

What is a revolution, exactly? Where and how does it begin, and, perhaps more importantly, how does it end? This event is not the usual story of revolution: one of Kings and Generals, grand military or revolutionary acts, Che Guevara or Ahmed al-Sharaa style military fatigues and the storming of the capital. Rather, this event is about small “r”  revolution and revolutionary acts done by “ordinary” people in extraordinary times.

Hosted by the Jewish Council of Australia and chaired by Dr Louise Olliff, join panelists Dr Samah Sabawi, Louna Ghawi and Dr Marika Sosnowski as they discuss revolution in Palestine, Syria and beyond.

Brunswick Bound will be selling Marika’s new book 58 Facets: on law, violence and revolution (MUP) and Samah’s award-winning book Cactus Pear for My Beloved (Penguin) at the event. All profits from book sales on the night will go to Palestine Australia Relief and Action and the Karam Foundation.

--

Dr Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian Australian author, playwright and poet. Her memoire Cactus Pear for My Beloved (2024) was shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize, The Age Book of the Year award and the NSW Literary Awards. Sabawi’s theatre credits include the critically acclaimed and award winning plays Tales of a City by the Sea (2016) and THEM (2019). 

Louna Ghawi is a Syrian Australian leader and influential voice in the humanitarian and advocacy space. She has over 15 years of experience across the humanitarian, corporate, and academic sectors in Australia and in conflict-affected regions, including her work with the United Nations in Syria.

Dr Marika Sosnowski is a legal anthropologist at Melbourne Law School and the granddaughter of Polish and Dutch Holocaust survivors. She went to Syria in 2007, primarily to eat makdous, hummus and ghazl al banat, and has worked on Syria – its revolution, war, governance and legal systems – ever since.

Dr Louise Olliff is a senior research associate at the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW and a senior policy advisor at the Refugee Council of Australia. Her research and work focuses on refugee policy, diasporas and everyday humanitarianism. She is the author of Helping Familiar Strangers (2022).