RAMALLAH, Apr. 5 (JMCC) - Awareness among Palestinians that they are not only losing their land but also their identity is on the rise, especially among Palestinian artists and musicians living in
Israel and the
occupied territories.
A renaissance in Palestinian cultural activities is taking place by those who feel that producing art has become their form of resistance against Israel and the loss of their Palestinian identity.
It may not be armed struggle, but music is an important weapon of cultural resistance and a means of safeguarding national identity for those Palestinian musicians living inside Israel and occupied east Jerusalem.
As Palestinians of 1948, we have struggled to stay on our land, says Rim al-Banna, a singer from Nazareth in the Galilee region of northern Israel.
The mere fact that we have stayed here is itself resistance and endurance. If we did not stay here we wouldn't have had the ability to talk about the Palestinian cause.
Through my art, I stay here and resist, says singer Reem Talhami. My resistance is my art, and my art is my war.
Read the full article at
Al Jazeera English