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Paper short abstract

'Return to Tenderness' is a collaboration between the volunteer-led organisation Qisetna and a group of young people from the cities of Raqqa and Kobane in north-eastern Syria. The project aims to document their music and living heritage.

Paper long abstract

Central to this work is trans-community research and the documentation of musical heritage at risk of disappearing due to conflict, displacement, and generational rupture. Using participatory methodologies, young researchers actively documented traditional musical practices, oral histories and performance traditions from both the Arab and Kurdish communities that have been under threat for years due to war and social upheaval. This grassroots documentation process served not only as a means of cultural preservation, but also as a mechanism for intergenerational dialogue, community healing, and the reclamation of collective identity in post-conflict settings.

We focused on the action-oriented insights that led to our participation in the first international conference on the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, organised by Al-Sharq University in Raqqa, north-eastern Syria, in November 2023.