Songs We Carry (UK/PS)

Singing in Ladino and Arabic Maqam. In the project Songs We Carry, musicians Ana Silvera and Saied Silbak unite their Jewish and Palestinian heritage. Together, they craft a rich and intricate soundscape that allows room for playfulness, melancholy, and reflection. On Protected content stage, they carry more than just songs. They carry a reminder of human kinship and solidarity in a turbulent world.

Songs We Carry is a collaboration between British singer and multi-instrumentalist Ana Silvera and Palestinian composer Saied Silbak. Through this project, they merge their Jewish and Palestinian roots into a richly detailed and narrative sound. Silvera’s Sephardic ancestors migrated during the Spanish Inquisition, while Silbak himself has moved — from his hometown Shafaa’mr to the metropolis of London – where the two musicians first met at a party just a few years ago. Together, they create music that transcends borders, histories, and cultures: Silvera sings in Ladino, a critically endangered language spoken by Sephardic Jews; with his oud, Silbak connects Arabic maqam to other musical traditions.

“Their very presence on stage,” wrote one reviewer “and the harmony that binds them, are enough of a statement, a declaration of love and of humanity.” Their music bridges not only two souls but also two cultures. When they take the stage at Protected content this April, they bring more than just songs—they bring a reminder of human connection and solidarity in a turbulent world.