Tadhamon Singers were formed in 2018. We are a group of women who sing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. In 2022 we toured the West Bank and Nazareth, singing in refugee camps, cultural centres, streets and cafes, singing with Palestinians and making lasting connections.

As we travelled, Palestinians kept asking us one thing: “please share our story”.

We remain committed to supporting the struggle for justice and equality for Palestine by engaging in activism in the UK against the injustices of the Israeli Apartheid regime.    We do this through performances, song workshops, solidarity actions, small events, online talks and sharing our blog from the trip.  We were early members of the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. Sign up to the Coalition’s newsletter here

Our Recent Actions

Shut Elbit Down – Shenstone

15th November 2024

Tadhamon joined a coach-load of people from Sheffield to add our voices to the monthly protest outside the Israeli owned Elbit Systems UAV weapons factory in Shenstone. It is here that engines are made for the military drones that fly continually over the skies of Gaza, which are used for surveillance and attacks, and linked to documented war crimes. The Sheffield contingent included the XR Sheffield Five Rivers Rising samba band, whose compulsive rhythms added vigour to the lively protest of about 300 people. Once again the factory had been closed for the day in anticipation of the action.

Tadhamon sang at the factory gates, handing out song sheets and encouraging people to join in with us, and then sang again on the coach going home. In these increasingly dark times it feels so important to add the power of song to our protests as we fight to Shut Elbit Down. 

Mandla Mandela Speaks Out Against Israeli Apartheid

10th October 2024

The Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid was excited at the prospect of welcoming Mandla Mandela, South African tribal chief and grandson of Nelson Mandela, for the first night of his UK speaking tour in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Tadhamon felt honoured to join forces with two other choirs, the Sheffield Socialist Choir and SOSA Xa! to start the evening off with a couple of songs. However, on the very morning of the event the news came through that Mandla had been refused entry to the UK by British officials and could not attend in person, but by means of some lightning fast technical wizardry the meeting was able to go ahead with Mandla appearing via a zoom link.

The large hall at SADACCA (Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association) was packed to capacity with a very diverse audience keen to hear Mandla speak. Like his grandfather Nelson Mandela, he has long been vocal in his support for Palestine, and the South African government has taken a leading role in the international condemnation of the Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Mandla spoke passionately and knowledgably, emphasising South Africa’s commitment to the Palestinian cause, particularly in the light of its own history of apartheid. 

Our first song, ‘Siyabonga South Africa’, was written by Penny Stone to thank South Africa for its unwavering support of Palestine. Our second song ‘We will not be silenced’ by Ali Burns, felt doubly appropriate, given the triumph of holding this historic meeting despite the attempt of the British government to stop Mandla’s voice being heard. 

South Yorkshire Pensions Protest

12th September 2024

The recent protest at the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (12th September) brought people from Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham together at the quarterly meeting at the Barnsley HQ to demand that they

Stop supporting the arms trade

Stop investing in companies arming Israel

End complicity with Israeli genocide and apartheid

Tadhamon members sang songs focussed on these demands and encouraged others to join in.  This was a good example of a situation where we can really help make an impact. We brought energy and creativity to a relatively small protest – which was much more effective than if there had only been people chanting.  It was great to learn that those attending the meeting could hear our message clearly, including the CEO of Border to Coast the investment company which handles the pensions funds.  

Mohammed from Rotherham – “Thank you for singing. It really had an impact on the people inside and I really liked the Bella Ciao rendition.”

Bella Ciao – South Yorkshire Pensions – WE DEMAND DIVESTMENT NOW

Small Park Big Run

21st – 22nd June 2024

On 23rd June, Tadhamon sang at the Small Park Big Run, an annual fundraising event and celebration of Palestinian culture and resilience held in Meersbrook Park, Sheffield, supporting women’s education and children’s health and play in Palestine. Spanning twenty-four hours from noon Saturday to noon on Sunday, participants are invited to run or walk  laps of the park for as long as they are able.

The organisers described the event this year as “an inspiring mix of celebration and anger; joy and sadness” on the theme of Land and Food, with 551 registered runners, talks, a solidarity supper, lantern procession, and a Palestinian breakfast. Tadhamon was one of 12 choirs and bands playing around the route to encourage the runners. 

Parallel runs are usually organised by our friends in Gaza and the West Bank. We didn’t  expect that there would be a run in Gaza this year and were really moved and inspired to receive photos and videos of children running through the rubble carrying their flags. Such amazing spirit!

For the closing ceremony, a live link to Gaza wasn’t possible this year, but we were able to link with Ramallah in the West Bank. After a speech of solidarity by the Deputy Lord Mayor, we joined a massed choir of hundreds for a rendering of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, singing with all our hearts and sending our love and solidarity across the miles in this darkest of years.


Street Choirs Festival

7th – 9th June 2024

From 7th to 9th June the 40th Annual Street Choirs Festival filled Sheffield with music. Tadhamon was one of 45 choirs from around the country, with over 1,000 singers participating in this joyful event. Hosted this year by three local choirs, Sheffield Socialist Choir, Carfield Community Choir and Out Aloud, the theme for the weekend was ‘one song, one dance, one world, one chance’. The words were taken from a song written by Cynthia Cockburn, political activist, academic, writer and member of the London choir Raised Voices for the first climate demo in 2005.

Busking choirs regaled passers-by all around the city centre on the Saturday morning, before all 1,000 singers joined together to sing songs of community, freedom and harmony in a mighty mass choir in the Peace Gardens. Tadhamon sang together with the Sheffield Socialist Choir for our performance spot in the big Saturday night concert, combining our voices to sing for Palestine. On the Sunday morning we were delighted to run two well attended workshops, teaching songs of solidarity with the Palestinian people together with San Ghanny, the Edinburgh based solidarity Palestine solidarity choir which had inspired us to form Tadhamon Singers. A wonderful weekend, which really demonstrated the power of song in our troubled world.

More than 150 people turned out on a cold February evening to attend our latest performance of ‘We Stand With You’.  The audience listened intently as we gave some of the latest news of people we met on our visit to the West Bank. We updated our audience on the campaigns we had attended during 2023 such as protests against Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, Elbit and highlighting the involvement of Barclays Bank who financially support companies like Elbit. 

Locally there has been a surge of activity in visiting shops and supermarkets and asking them not to stock Israeli dates grown on Palestinian land in the Jordan valley and also CocaCola which is produced in a factory in one of the oldest and largest colonies/settlements in the West Bank. We sang songs which we had sung at all of these protests and events. 

Five of the songs we sang this evening had been written by Janet Wood, our amazing Choir Director. There was a special moment towards the end of the performance as we were singing the penultimate song, ‘I Stand With You’, when the audience themselves stood up, en masse, in solidarity. We sing this song from our hearts to the hearts of Palestinians everywhere but currently we are thinking so much of all the people in Gaza whose bodies are succumbing to the diseases which have begun circulating, emaciated from hunger and with nowhere to shelter.  Singing it is always a challenge but this was so unexpected that we almost stopped singing. By the time we had sung our final song, ‘Kuluna Ghaza’ (We are all Gaza) we were wiping away a tear or two. 

Following the performance everyone tucked in to the delicious Palestinian food cooked by Musheir El Farra, Chair of Sheffield PSC and from Khan Younis in Gaza. Thanks to the generosity of our audience more than £2500 was raised to send to the Emergency Relief Fund being administered by Sheffield PSC and run by volunteers on the ground around Khan Younis.

if you are interested in hosting our presentation, get in touch through our contact form

December 23

Events

Join us at one of our upcoming events to learn more about the lives of Palestinians, and the apartheid they live under. Or get in touch to organise an event with us for your community.