Welcome to Khrarif: Bridging Cultures and Generations by Preserving Stories and Heritage
Mission and Vision
Khrarif is an independent cultural organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the rich heritage, narratives, and oral history of the Levant. It specializes in documenting these stories, transforming them into contemporary audiovisual formats, and sharing them across online platforms.
Khrarif builds the capacities of young generation Levantians to lead oral heritage documentation and storytelling efforts with the aim of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and making these stories freely accessible in open sources and ensuring they endure across generations.
“We believe in the transformative power of stories to shape communities, inspire action, and bridge generations and cultures.”
Our Story
Khrarif was established in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by a shared motivation to explore the traditions and heritage that previous generations had drawn upon during times of crisis. The Khrarif team was especially interested in understanding how imagination and storytelling have historically been used as tools for civic engagement, resilience and survival.
In addition to this exploration, Khrarif was founded to address an urgent need for a supportive space for cultural practitioners, particularly those documenting oral heritage and narratives in Palestine and Jordan. The pandemic had highlighted a general lack of funding and support for these practitioners, which had significantly hindered their work.
These reasons collectively inspired the Khrarif team to create a platform dedicated to supporting cultural professionals and promoting the important role of imagination and storytelling rooted in heritage among new generations.
Khrarif began as an initiative founded by three individuals—Hala Aldeeb, Abed Alfattah Dawod, and Mustafa Irshid—who collaborated with a group of Palestinian storytellers, including Majida Subhi, Hannen Tarabih, Saeed Hajji, Fidaa Attia, and Mohammed Al-Hajj Hassan.
In the following year, Khrarif expanded its reach, working with a broader group of storytellers from Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon and building partnerships with organizations in Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon.
Preserve and Protect Intangible Heritage
Ensure the preservation of Levantine cultural heritage by documenting and safeguarding oral traditions, folklore, and other intangible forms of heritage that define the region's identity.
Bridge Generational Gaps in Cultural Understanding
Connect new generations with their heritage and folklore, fostering a personal connection to cultural identity through immersive storytelling experiences.
Khrarif Goals
Revitalize Storytelling as a Cultural Pillar
Restore storytelling as a meaningful part of daily life, particularly for new generations, by building a new generation of young storytellers across the region reinforcing notions of common identity and community.
Innovate Through Visual Arts and Oral Heritage
Integrate visual arts with oral storytelling to create engaging, multimedia experiences that broaden the audience and appeal of Levantine heritage, reaching new and younger audiences.
Through these goals, Khrarif aims to build a culturally resilient and inclusive society that honors Levantine heritage while empowering future generations to embrace and preserve it. By revitalizing storytelling, integrating multimedia forms, and fostering cross-community ties, Khrarif will contribute to a more interconnected, empathetic region where cultural heritage is not only preserved but actively celebrated as a bridge to understanding and mutual respect.
Foster Interconnectedness Among Communities
Illuminate the shared cultural roots of Levantine communities, strengthening a sense of belonging and continuity across diverse groups within the region.
Core Activities
The primary activities to achieve Khrarif’s goals and objectives include:
1. Documenting Oral Heritage and Folkloric Art
Documenting and preserving the region’s rich oral heritage and folkloric arts.
2. Producing Audiovisual Materials
Creating contemporary audiovisual content that documents cultural heritage with fresh perspectives and formats.
3. Publishing Research Outcomes
Sharing research findings as open resources accessible to researchers and enthusiasts of oral cultural heritage. Moreover, transforming the researches insights into various visual forms.
4. Digital Broadcasting
Broadcasting Khrarif’s productions on digital platforms to reach wider audiences in the region and diaspora, especially the new generations.
5. Training Workshops in Heritage Documentation and Storytelling
Offering regular workshops in Jordan and Palestine to build skills in heritage documentation and storytelling, fostering a new generation of storytellers and heritage documenters.
Khrarif In Numbers
Khrarif’s activities aim to reach a broad audience, with a primary focus on younger generations, particularly youth in the Levant region and Palestinians in the diaspora. The visual and audiovisual content is designed to appeal to these audiences by presenting cultural heritage in contemporary formats that resonate with modern lifestyles. Additionally, content is initially translated into English, with the potential for further translations based on demand.
In alignment with its mission, activities and target audience, Khrarif focuses on three key groups:
Levant Region Audiences in the Diaspora
Individuals are passionate about exploring their cultural and folk heritage and reconnecting with the oral history and traditions of their homelands.
Target Audience
Community Reach and Cultural Engagement
Palestinians Living in Palestine
Those seeking to break through imposed isolation and disparities by engaging with other Arab communities and resisting the erasure of their history.
International Audiences
Individuals worldwide foster intercultural communication by showcasing the shared elements between Levantine heritage and other global traditions and storytelling practices.
To effectively connect with these diverse communities and foster cultural engagement, Khrarif leverages digital platforms as its primary channel, including social media, websites, and other online resources. This approach ensures broad, equitable, and accessible outreach. Each project follows a carefully crafted strategic plan tailored to its objectives and audience, contributing to Khrarif’s overarching marketing and outreach strategy.
Closing Statement
Khrarif embarked on its mission to document folk oral heritage from Jerusalem to every corner of the Levant, celebrating its profound role in our daily lives. Today, we proudly connect with a global audience that are interested in Levantine folk heritage. What began as a heartfelt aspiration has grown into a vibrant institution and a cornerstone of youth-focused initiatives dedicated to preserving and celebrating narratives in all their diverse forms.
Khrarif team is dedicated to building partnerships that support the growth and development of our organization and its members. We actively seek collaborations across various sectors to enrich cultural content in both digital spaces and community settings.
If you share our passion for documentation and storytelling and wish to explore folk and personal narratives, we invite you to contact us at: contactkhrarif@gmail.com
