By Fighting Words Staff
The Watani77: Prosthetics for Palestine Benefit Concert, held on Saturday, July 18, brought together Detroit artists alongside Bay Area headliners Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh & The Shadow Band for an evening of live music, cultural vendors, food, and community. Held at Cairo Coffee, located at 2905 Beaufait St. on the eastside of Detroit, the event raised $10,000 in support of Prosthetics for Palestine, an all-volunteer initiative of Physicians for Palestine (pfpal).
In addition to Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh & The Shadow Band from the Bay Area, California, the artists Valid, Le’Jend, ChromaSynthesis, Layan Srour and Zekkereya Al-Magharbel also donated their performances. As co-founder of Prosthetics for Palestine, Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh continues to merge music and philanthropy, traveling throughout the United States with The Shadow Band to support humanitarian relief efforts through benefit concerts and educational programming.
A report from the organizers of the benefit stated:
Founded in 2023, Prosthetics for Palestine works alongside Palestinian medical professionals and international partners to expand prosthetic care, rehabilitation, education, research, and long-term medical infrastructure across Gaza, the West Bank, and the Palestinian diaspora.
Just one week before Watani77, the organization announced a significant milestone: the first prosthetic limbs arrived at the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre (ALPC) in Gaza, where patients are now beginning rehabilitation.Funds raised through Watani77 will help support:
● Purchasing two ambulances in Palestine
● Building a prosthetics clinic in Ramallah
● Supporting a prosthetics training program and research infrastructure in collaboration with MIT
● Expanding amputee rehabilitation and prosthetic care across Gaza, the West Bank, and the Palestinian diasporaAlthough Watani77 reached its fundraising goal, the need for sustained humanitarian support remains urgent. Every contribution helps restore dignity, mobility, and independence while investing in long-term systems of care led in partnership with Palestinian medical professionals.
The success of Watani77 stands as a testament to what is possible when artists, businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and neighbors come together in solidarity. It was more than a concert. It was a community commitment to healing, justice, and hope.
Learn more, volunteer, or donate: pfpal.org
What is Watani 77?
Watani 77 is a 77-minute music album by Palestinian American artist Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh. It was released in 2025, 77 years after Nakba. It serves as a sonic reflection on years of displacement, and inspired benefit events like the July 2026 Detroit concert for Prosthetics for Palestine.
