The past month has been an unexpectedly difficult one for all members of our community. We've tried to keep our heads up and focused our efforts on what we know how to do: point people in the direction of resources that can help give context to and question the imposed narrative around our histories and cultures. For the last 26 days, we've recorded podcast episodes relevant to understanding historical context to what is happening in Palestine. We've included four of them in this newsletter, but make sure to stay tuned in the weeks to come for some highly informative conversations with guests from completely different disciplines who are generously sharing their time and insight in these dark times. We've also included some old podcast favorites, books, films, art, music and resources to learn more about Palestinian history and culture. Remember that knowledge is power: read, learn, speak up and stay strong.
In solidarity, The afikra | عفكرة Team
We have postponed our current community events. New events may be rescheduled in the coming weeks so please keep an eye on @afikra_community and join your city's mailing list to be notified of event updates in your city.
Click on the tape to listen to some Palestinian tunes – old and new.
Today is the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration,
Aflamuna is organizing more than 90 Palestinian film screenings around the world to show unwavering support for Palestine & contribute to shifting distorted narratives.
The festival is set to explore issues that are pertinent to the events unfolding today through a creative, cinematic lens. The program includes both recently released titles and archival favorites.
A multimedia exhibition that contemplates the relationship between politics and aesthetics through the work of a new generation of Palestinian artists.
This digital platform is part of a project to digitize, index, preserve and provide access to an archival collection of approximately 1000 hours of testimonies with first generation Palestinians and other Palestinian communities in Lebanon.
Though the films are no longer available to watch for free, this is a good resource for discovering and learning about films made through the lens of female filmmakers.
Verso Books has made six e-books available to download for free, each of which challenges Zionist ideology and offers a clear history of the occupation, Israel's military industrial complex and the BDS movement.
Artists and designers from around the world are creating posters for Palestine and submitting them to this growing visual archive. They're free to use for non-commercial purposes, so browse the already extensive list – and if you're an illustrator, contribute your own work. This artwork was designed by Rustungberto.
Friendly Nerds
Nour is based in afikra's Beirut office and works on our Outreach Team, coordinating all podcast episodes with our wonderful guests across podcast series. When she isn't typing out emails, immersed in spreadsheets, or putting together slides, she's listening to Adonis and sipping on her Earl Grey tea.
A dish that takes you back to a childhood memory Bemiyeh w riz. Although many people strongly dislike it, this dish holds a special place in my heart, as it transports me back to that moment of initial hesitation at my grandmother's house – the same moment that sparked my enduring love for it.
Your Arab cult film of choice West Beirut – its raw portrayal of the city during the Lebanese Civil War combined with its focus on the complexities of teenage life resonates deeply with me.
Your favorite afikra episode
The episode of Book Club with Joumana Haddad. I’m a big fan of Joumana and I really enjoyed hearing about her upbringing. She also shed light on the stories of victims of the Armenian genocide.
Your most listened to music album of all time Hadis El Layl by Adonis. It’s helped me navigate a rollercoaster of emotions with its soulful tunes and heartfelt verses.
Your favorite Arabic saying
الحاجة أم الاختراع
which is my dad’s go-to idiom. He’s always finding the most creative solutions to his problems and this taught me that no challenge is insurmountable – that there's always a way to figure things out.
Special Podcast
Prof. Abaher El-Sakka
Author of "Gaza: A Social History under British Colonial Rule"
Omar Thawabeh interviews professor El-Sakka who paints a vivid picture of Gaza’s social & economic life from the Mamluk period to British colonial rule.
Prof. Beshara Doumani
Professor of Palestinian Studies at Brown University
Doumani gives us critical historical context for what's happening in Palestine right now, explaining why and how Palestine's colonial history is relevant today.
Brendan Ciarán Browne
Author and multidisciplinary scholar
The author of “Transitional (in)Justice and Enforcing the Peace on Palestine” joins us to talk about transnational solidarity, Ireland, the ICC, and what justice could look like in Palestine.
Mara Kronenfeld
Executive director of UNRWA-USA
Kronenfeld gives context about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza right now and the devastating impact the 17-year-long blockade has had on Palestinian life.
A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017, Rashid Khalidi
Traces the 100 years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States. Original, authoritative and important, this book reevaluates the forces arrayed against the Palestinians, and offers an illuminating view on a war that continues to this day.
In Search of Fatima, Ghada Karmi
Karmi's acclaimed memoir captures her childhood in Palestine, flight to Britain after the Nakba, and coming of age in Jewish Golders Green, in North London. Speaking for the millions of displaced people worldwide who have lived suspended between their old and new countries – fitting into neither – this is an intimate, nuanced exploration of the subtler privations of psychological displacement and loss of identity.
Jordan Nassar is an American-Palestinian artist who creates a contemporary style of tatreez (Palestinian embroidery), borrowing traditional motifs from his Palestinian heritage and exploring the notion of landscape entirely from the imaginary. This one is a hand embroidered cotton on cotton.
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