Between the River and the Sea: An Evening with Yousef Sweid
- Date
- Monday 16 February 2026
- Time
- Address
-
Lipsius
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden - Room
- 0.19
Join us for an evening of theatre and conversation with acclaimed actor Yousef Sweid. A Palestinian-Israeli who grew up in Haifa, Sweid debuted his solo play Between the River and the Sea at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024 and has been performing it since at Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theater to sold-out halls. Based on his life story, Sweid's deeply personal work offers a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and cultural hybridity. The performance illuminates the artist’s lived experience, a life suspended between languages, cultures, and conflicting historical narratives.
Sweid's remarkable career in theater, television, and film spans 25 years, with appearances in productions such as HBO's Game of Thrones and Nexflix's Homeland, Unorthodox, and Woman of the Dead. He joins us in Leiden for a special evening, where he will perform selected monologues from the play (written in collaboration with, and directed by, Isabella Sedlak), followed by a deep conversation with the audience. At a time when division and conflict dominate global headlines, we invite our university community to listen, reflect, question, and embrace complexity through art.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Faculty of Humanities’ JEDI Fund and LJSN.
Registration
The evening is open to all members of Leiden University by prior registration with a valid university email address. You can register by clicking on the button below.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR UNIVERSITY CARD WITH YOU TO THE EVENT
Cancellation
Seats are limited. If you are no longer able to attend, please cancel your registration as soon as possible by emailing: n.schonmann@hum.leidenuniv.nl so we can offer your place to someone else.
Radio Palestine/Israel podcast
The evening is the Launch event for the second season of the Radio Palestine/Israel podcast!
Produced by Leiden University students, the series amplifies voices that frequently get sidelined or silenced. Featuring powerful conversations with Israelis and Palestinians who use their voices to affect change. Journey into the heart of the conflict: tune into a collection of unfiltered voices that go beyond the headlines. Dare to Listen!
Stream Radio Palestine