Watch: Poet Asmaa Azaizeh on Palestine's arts and culture scene, enduring relevance of Mahmoud Darwish

Do not believe me if I talked to you of war, because when I spoke of blood, I was drinking coffee, when I spoke of graves, I was picking yellow daisies in Marj Ibn Amer, when I described the murderers, I was listening to my friends’ giggles, and when I wrote about a burnt theatre in Aleppo, I was standing before you in an air-conditioned one. —‘ Do not believe me if I talked to you of war’, Asmaa Azaizeh * The work of Asmaa Azaizeh, Palestinian poet, performer and essayist, truly embodies the idea of the ‘personal as political’. A former journalist who worked for Arabic and Palestinian newspapers, as well as radio and TV, she has been deeply involved in the arts and culture scene in Haifa, where she is currently based, as well as other cities in the region. She served as the first director of the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah. In a live conversation on Instagram, Asmaa spoke to Firstpost about her work, and writing during a time on conflict. She spoke at length about how the arts and culture sector had to be built from scratch in her part of the world, despite being a hub many decades ago. She also discussed the relevance and meaning that legendary poet Mahmoud Darwish holds for Palestinians today, as well as her impressions of Arabic literature. Asmaa took questions from the audience as well, addressing subjects such as the choice to write about love and other themes during times of despair, as well as how writing poetry and engaging with her Palestinian culture have gone hand in hand. Watch the whole conversation here: