Khaberni - The Palestinian Ministry of Culture mourns the researcher and storyteller Hamza Al-Aqrabawi, known as "Palestinian Storyteller" after he passed away in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The ministry stated in an announcement on its Facebook page that "the late storyteller was interested in collecting folk heritage and everything related to daily life in Palestine, writing from collective memory and identity, with a number of published research and articles documenting various aspects of Palestinian heritage."
It added: "Al-Aqrabawi was keen on collecting archives, especially those reflecting the details of daily life for Palestinians, and he organized educational tours in Palestinian lands, aiming to connect folk heritage to place and enhance awareness of cultural identity. He played a significant role in numerous ministry events and activities, contributing to highlighting the importance of folk heritage and preserving it as a core part of national memory."
Al-Aqrabawi was born in 1984, from the town of Aqraba south of Nablus, and grew up in a rural environment close to the land and collective memory, which formed the basis of his knowledge project in collecting stories, documenting memory, and linking place to narrative.
Al-Aqrabawi served as a bridge between folk memory and contemporary documentation; he did not just narrate, but placed narratives within historical, economic, and social contexts, contributing to preserving Palestinian cultural identity and transmitting it to future generations with critical and methodological awareness.
Al-Aqrabawi created an archive containing a diverse collection of photos and historical documents, including old notebooks, certificates, property documents, and correspondences, with the purpose of providing an opportunity for precise historical reading of time and place.
Al-Aqrabawi's narrative style was distinguished by relying on field research and tangible documentation, in addition to presenting performances in villages and open sites which transformed Palestinian geography into a living text, embodying the collective memory for generations. He believed that folk tales were not merely means of entertainment, but a fundamental source of true knowledge.
Social media users shared video clips showing him narrating some folk tales, expressing their sorrow over his passing, considering him a strong contributor to documenting and promoting Palestinian folk heritage. They also shared poignant quotes from him like "Speak to live," underscoring the importance of narrative storytelling in preserving the identity of the Palestinian people.
