I am trying to unravel, connect, undo, rebuild. The way I have sought any real change is to learn as much as I can. Absorb and be absorbed into a stream of voices and information.
At some point, I hope, there will be a time to reflect and process. But the urgency right now means to take in and understand as much as we can.
Before you dive in please understand that you are not without bias, not neutral, not objective. If you have grown up in the West, you have been taught to distrust and ignore Palestinian, Arab, Muslim voices. So when you listen to these voices, listen as though they came from your sister, your brother.
From 18th Oct. Noura Erakat has a way of cutting right to the heart of what is happening. Though this is from a few weeks ago (and what feels like a lifetime), it is a good place to start if you’re coming to this new.
Documentary: Edward Said - Palestine (from 1988 BBC series ‘Exiles’)
Said is brilliantly articulate, he talks about his own life and experiences as a Palestinian. Broadcast in 1988 it shows how little progress, even on the basic level of understanding, we have made.
Article: The Intercept - I Joined Gaza’s Trail of Tears and Displacement by Hind Khoudary
This article is a moving account of one journalist’s journey from North to South Gaza. It reminded me how important these accounts are, and how selfless Palestinian journalists are in their efforts to share what they experience with us.
Podcast: Longform interview with Mona Chalabi
You may know writer and illustrator Mona Chalabi for her incredible hand drawn info-graphics (see below). She talks openly and candidly about journalistic coverage of Palestine in a way that I found so refreshing.
Podcast: The afikra Podcast interview w/ Steve Sosebee (PCRF founder)
A collective responsibility towards the children of Palestine
The afikra Podcast has an incredible series on Palestine at the moment, covering a wide range of topics. I highly recommend listening to all of those episodes.
Though this is a very small selection, I hope it has been helpful. I will keep sharing, I hope you will join me in this.
Thank you very much for providing these resources. Love the series title, learning as resistance.