Join us for a conversation on memory, resilience and childhood in Gaza with Abdalhadi Alijla and Nur Turkmani at Good Company Bookstore.
About the memoir
Through a mosaic of personal testimonies, social analysis, and quiet observation, Fearful in Gaza traces how decades of blockade, conflict, and isolation have reshaped the very fabric of daily life. Parents calculating the safest route to a bakery. Children who have learned to distinguish between the sounds of different drones. Young people weighing dreams against checkpoints. Alijla, a Gazan scholar, does not write from a distance. He writes from within—bearing witness to a society where fear is not an emotion but an architecture: political, economic, psychological. And yet, amid the rubble, he finds flickers of resilience, dark humor, and the stubborn refusal to stop hoping.
About the author
Abdalhadi Alijla is a Palestinian Swedish researcher, writer, speaker, and consultant specialised in social and political science. He is the author of Fearful in Gaza, Trust in Divided Societies and co-editor of Rebel Governance in the Middle East. Abdalhadi is a Non-resident senior fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative. He is the 2021 International Political Science Association Global South Award. He is a co-founder of Palestine Young Academy in 2020. In 2025, he won first place in the literature section at Un Mondo di parole – A world of words, Italy.
About the moderator
Nur Turkmani is a writer and researcher. She grew up in Kumasi and Tripoli, and lives between Beirut and Lisbon. Her debut poetry collection, October, was selected by Chen Chen as winner of Purple Ink’s Poetry Contest and is forthcoming with Hajar Press in 2026.
This event is brought to you in collaboration with MAQAM - a nomadic bookshop and online marketplace with a wide selection of textiles and titles centred around the arts, culture, politics and history of the Arabic speaking world.
During the event Adan and Masoud will host a POP-UP where you will have the chance to browse their shelves, talk and receive plenty of recommendations from Arabic speaking world literature.
Tickets for this event
The event is free to attend, but registration is obligatory to enter. Space is limited, grab your tickets quickly! Seating is available on the first come first serve basis.
The Venue
Good Company Books is an independent English Bookstore in Lisbon. Born from our love of global literature and our Portuguese heritage, we are crafting a space for people of all backgrounds to gather and enjoy the best books, events, coffee, and wine. Find out more on our Instagram.
How To Find Us
By Metro: We're situated a 5-minute walk from the Campo Pequeno metro (Yellow line) and a 10-minute walk from the Alameda metro (Green & Red lines).
By Bus: There are many convenient bus options 2 blocks away from us on Avenida República, with the closest stop to our store being Campo Pequeno-Av. Republica.
By Bike: If you're using the Gira public bicycles, there is a docking station right across the street (#431 - Rua do Arco Cego / Av. Magalhães Lima).
By Car: There is a paid parking lot across the street, between Rua Arco do Cego and Rua Dona Filipa de Vilhena. Street parking is also available around the neighborhood.
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