«Tiri Tiri Ya Asfoura»: The Anthem of Hope from a Palestinian Girls’ Choir Rising Amidst Conflict

Original article: “Tiri Tiri Ya Asfoura”: El canto de un coro de niñas palestinas que se vuelve himno de paz y esperanza

«Fly, Fly, Little Bird»: The Song of a Girls’ Choir in Gaza Goes Viral in Chile, Reminding Us That Hope Persists

Amidst the silence imposed by bombings and destruction, a collective voice emerged that demanded attention. In Chile, the publication Minga Ancestral shared a video on social media that quickly went viral: a choir of girls from Khan Younis in southern Gaza singing with pure faces and determined gazes, transforming their performance into a deeply humane act of resistance.

The video was initially shared in Palestine by Ahmed Muin Abuamsha, the founder of GBS and a native of Gaza, who wrote alongside the images: “Today I visited a new girls’ choir in Khan Younis, supervised by Mr. Jihad Hassan. Young and beautiful voices, full of positive energy and hope. This is just the beginning for them, and they truly need support.” The choir is yet to be named, and Ahmed has opened a collective call to name it.

A notable gesture of solidarity from Chile came from a user, part of the supportive wave triggered by the post, who translated the song the girls sang into Spanish. It was “Tiri Tiri Ya Asfoura” (“Fly, fly, little bird”), a traditional song that suddenly took on a new significance: an anthem of peace sung by those who have endured the burdens of war. The translation allowed hundreds of people in Chile and Latin America to grasp every word, along with the plea embedded in each note.

Mikhael_99 shared: “A small attempt to bring the charm of a beloved Arabic children’s song into Spanish. I’ve tried to preserve its rhythm, innocence, and original imagery: “Fly, fly, little bird, I’m just like you, pretty and small. I run among the flowers at dawn, leap through the waters of the river as I pass, and in my hair, I keep a flower, fly, little bird, carry me in your love. Fly, fly, little bird, I’m just like you, pretty and small. Where is your nest, tell me? I only see you flying and flying, you have nothing but two wings and the whole sky to dream. Say a word, little bird, if they ask you, say nothing, fly, fly, little bird, I’m just like you, small and winged. We are all your friends, you know everything that happened: we played, read, made noise, how did you know? Fly, fly, little bird, I’m just like you, pretty and small. We hid you in a notebook, a little drawing on paper, you are the freedom that grows under the blue honey sky. And that vast, distant sky fits entirely in your flight, in your wings, little bird, the whole world can enter. Fly, fly, little bird, I’m just like you, pretty and small. Fly, fly, little bird… fly free over the blue.”

Horrifying Statistics from Gaza: Attacks on Children

🔸 Over 90% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged since the start of the war.
🔸 Nearly 22,000 Palestinian children have died since October 2023.
🔸 More than 41,500 minors have been injured, over 21,000 have become disabled, 1,500 have suffered amputations, and 17,000 have been orphaned.

Music as Hope

Ahmed Muin shares a series of videos and musical interventions from Gaza on his social media, and here are two:

“When children’s voices rise above the waves, hope becomes stronger than sorrow”

Video shared by Singing Global