Artists uniting their voices against violence and for peace at a critical moment
In Lisbon this December, fourteen Portuguese musicians will gather at the Centro Cultural de Belém not merely to perform, but to bear witness — transforming art into an act of solidarity with a civilian population enduring one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes of our time. The concert, called 'Juntos por Gaza,' channels ticket sales and donations toward UNRWA, the United Nations agency sustaining life for Palestinian refugees through schools, clinics, and food distribution. It is a reminder that culture, while unable to silence conflict, can still carry the weight of conscience across borders.
- Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since October 2023, with famine now claiming lives — most of them children — as winter approaches a shattered Gaza.
- A near-total blockade on humanitarian aid has pushed the enclave into acute scarcity, leaving UNRWA as one of the last functioning lifelines for a population stripped of infrastructure and shelter.
- Fourteen of Portugal's most celebrated artists — including Salvador Sobral, Sérgio Godinho, and Capicua — have united under a single stage to make their collective refusal of silence visible and audible.
- The José Saramago Foundation and Pão a Pão association have structured the December 4th event so that every euro from tickets priced €15–35, as well as direct donations, flows entirely to UNRWA's humanitarian operations.
- The concert lands as a cultural act of redirection — turning an evening of music into material support at the precise moment when conditions on the ground are expected to deteriorate further.
No dia 4 de dezembro, o Grande Auditório do Centro Cultural de Belém, em Lisboa, acolhe o concerto 'Juntos por Gaza', reunindo catorze dos músicos portugueses mais reconhecidos numa iniciativa de solidariedade com os refugiados palestinianos. Entre os nomes confirmados estão Carlão, Salvador Sobral, Capicua, Jorge Palma, Sérgio Godinho, Selma Uamusse e Cristina Branco, entre outros. Todas as receitas — provenientes da venda de bilhetes e de donativos diretos — revertem integralmente para a UNRWA, a agência das Nações Unidas que mantém escolas, clínicas e programas de distribuição alimentar em Gaza e na região.
O evento é organizado pela Fundação José Saramago e pela associação Pão a Pão, em parceria com o Centro Cultural de Belém e a RTP. Os bilhetes, entre 15 e 35 euros, já estão à venda, e os organizadores disponibilizaram também formas de donativo por transferência bancária e aplicações de pagamento móvel, para quem queira contribuir sem estar presente.
Os artistas descrevem a sua participação como uma tomada de posição coletiva contra a violência, num momento que consideram crítico. Desde outubro de 2023, a ofensiva militar israelita em Gaza — desencadeada após o ataque do Hamas que matou 1.200 israelitas e fez 251 reféns — causou mais de 67.000 mortos e 170.000 feridos palestinianos, a grande maioria civis. A destruição de infraestruturas, o bloqueio ao acesso humanitário e o deslocamento em massa criaram condições de fome aguda: mais de 400 pessoas morreram de desnutrição, sendo as crianças a maioria das vítimas.
Com o inverno a aproximar-se e as condições a agravar-se, o concerto de 4 de dezembro propõe aquilo que a arte pode oferecer quando a política falha: presença, recursos e a recusa de indiferença.
On December 4th, the Grande Auditório at Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon will host a benefit concert called "Juntos por Gaza"—Together for Gaza—bringing together fourteen of Portugal's most recognized musicians to raise money for Palestinian refugees. The lineup includes Carlão, Salvador Sobral, Capicua, Clã, Jorge Palma, Sérgio Godinho, and Selma Uamusse, alongside Ana Lua Caiano, Bárbara Tinoco, Cara de Espelho, Cristina Branco, Filipe Raposo, Mais Hriesh, and Mário Laginha. Every euro raised through ticket sales and direct donations will go to UNRWA, the United Nations agency that provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees.
The concert is being organized by the José Saramago Foundation and Pão a Pão, a civil society association, in partnership with Centro Cultural de Belém and Portugal's public broadcaster RTP. Tickets are already on sale, ranging from fifteen to thirty-five euros. Beyond the box office, organizers are accepting donations through mobile payment apps and bank transfer to a dedicated account, giving supporters multiple ways to contribute regardless of whether they can attend the performance.
The artists involved have framed their participation as a collective statement against violence and for peace at a moment they describe as critical. The concert represents a cultural response to one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, Israel has conducted a sustained military offensive in Gaza. The retaliatory campaign has resulted in more than 67,000 Palestinian deaths and over 170,000 wounded, the vast majority of them civilians, according to figures from Gaza's Health Ministry that the United Nations considers credible.
The human toll extends far beyond combat deaths. The Israeli military operation has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's infrastructure and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. An Israeli blockade has severely restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, creating conditions of acute scarcity. More than 400 people have already died from malnutrition and famine, with children accounting for the majority of these deaths. The combination of displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and restricted aid has created a catastrophic situation for the civilian population.
For Portuguese artists and audiences, the December 4th concert offers a way to respond directly to this crisis. By attending or donating, supporters can channel resources to UNRWA, which operates schools, clinics, and food distribution programs across Gaza and the broader region. The event acknowledges that while a concert cannot resolve a geopolitical conflict, it can provide material support to people facing immediate, life-threatening deprivation. The performance will take place as winter approaches Gaza, when conditions for displaced and malnourished populations typically worsen.
Notable Quotes
The artists are joining their voices with many others who speak against violence and for peace at a critical moment— Concert organizers
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did these particular artists decide to organize this now, in December?
The crisis in Gaza has been escalating for over a year, but the humanitarian situation keeps deteriorating—more deaths from famine, more displacement. Artists often feel a responsibility to use their platform when they see suffering they can't ignore. December gives them a concrete moment to act.
Is there something specifically Portuguese about this response, or would this concert happen anywhere?
Portugal has a strong tradition of cultural activism and solidarity movements. The José Saramago Foundation—named after the Nobel Prize-winning writer—carries that legacy. But honestly, the impulse to help when you see mass suffering is universal. These artists are responding as humans first.
What does UNRWA actually do with the money?
They run schools, health clinics, food distribution, shelter assistance. In Gaza specifically, they're one of the few organizations still operating at scale. The money goes directly to keeping people alive and maintaining some semblance of dignity and education in impossible conditions.
Fourteen artists is a lot. Did they all agree immediately?
The announcement doesn't say, but when you have that many prominent names, it usually means word spread quickly through the cultural community. Once a few major figures commit, others follow. There's also a moment where staying silent feels harder than participating.
What happens if they raise a lot of money—say, fifty thousand euros?
It goes to UNRWA's operations. That could fund food assistance for thousands of people for weeks, or keep a clinic running. In a place where 400 people have already died of starvation, that's not abstract—it's the difference between survival and not.