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TEDxRamallah: Bethlehem to Beirut

TEDxRamallah: Bethlehem to Beirut, so close, and yet so far

Silence fell over the audience as Adam Shapiro and Afaf Shawwa Bibi, the hosts for the first TEDxRamallah session took the stage at the Sunflower Theater in Beirut. Shapiro is a documentary filmmaker, human rights defender, and American Jew. However, he is not speaking from Bethlehem today. Due to his involvement in Palestinian human rights movements such as the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which he co-founded in 2001, and his Israel-critical documentaries, including “Chronicles of a Refugee”, Shapiro is no longer welcome in Israel.

Shapiro can watch his wife and ISM co-founder, Huwaida Arraf, speak from Bethlehem via satellite. Arraf, who has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, heads ISM and is also the Chair of the Free Gaza movement, organizing the Gaza Freedom Flotillas since 2008. Arraf is the daughter of Palestinian parents. As her father carries Israeli citizenship, she can operate in the Palestinian Territories whereas her husband cannot.

The couple’s story is the product of the same dilemma many Palestinians face today. Religious and national identities do not correspond to the political map, affecting the lives of millions within Israel and abroad. Arraf, a Christian Palestinian, is addressing TEDxRamallah from the Palestinian Territories; her Jewish husband stands before an audience in Lebanon, many of whom, like himself dream of returning to Palestine but are prevented from doing so.  

Session One: Dreaming of a A Land With No Borders

“We are here to contribute to something more than just an economic or political game.” The words of Sam Katiela, Creative and Managing Director of TEDxRamallah, rang out across the Levant. “We are here to talk about the ideas that connect us. We have a voice that deserves to be heard and today is an opportunity for the world to hear us.”

Opening the TEDxRamallah event from Bethlehem, Katiela, a Palestinian, encouraged those participating through the simultaneous events being held in Amman and Beirut, as well as those watching online around the world, to “be our ambassadors and share our stories with the world.”

In Beirut, hundreds of people of all nationalities packed into the Sunflower Theater in Tayyouneh, where they heard host Adam Shapiro exemplify the paradox of technology that exists for Palestinians. International Solidarity Movement co-founder Shapiro lamented the fact that while the Internet allowed him to interact freely with those in Bethlehem, at the same time only confounded the fact he could not be there in person (Shapiro has been banned from entering Palestine).

The day’s opening session began with Palestinian lawyer and author Raja Shehadeh, who urged the audience not to lose faith when sensing futility in the fight. He explained how he heard Israeli guards shout at him when aged 16. "Since that time I have lived with occupation every minute of every day,” he said.

After studying abroad, Shehadeh returned to Palestine to establish the region’s first human rights NGO, Al-Haq. Years on, Shehadeh remains committed to fighting for the rights of Palestinians. The recent uprisings across the Arab world have renewed his dream of the region once again becoming one, united land.

“What if the people of this region cried out in one voice, ‘We want this land without borders, belligerency and occupation, to be free to travel through out the land as we choose?’”

It is a question that people across the region have been asking for a long time, and one that sets the scene for the rest of the day.

Session Two: Stories of Struggle & Resistance at TEDxRamallah

Session Two of TEDxRamallah began with presentations streaming live from Beirut around the world and viewed publicly in Bethlehem, Amman, Cairo, and other cities across the region.

Amal Shahabi, director of the Amal Center for the Elderly in Ein el Helwe, began with the moving story, recounted in Arabic, of her persistence and determination in the face of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon and her own detention by Israeli occupation forces in the 1980s. Amidst the arbitrary and ruthless violence of the occupation towards Palestinians in South Lebanon, Shahabi found the strength to rebuild her community and develop her social organization to care for those most affected. This was difficult, not least because nearly all the men in the camp had been round up and thrown in jail by the Israeli occupation forces, a story recounted in the feature documentary film, 'Kingdom of Women', by Dahna Abou Rahmeh. As Shahabi explained, “With love we can create miracles.” And, indeed, miracles she has created.

This was followed by an artistic presentation from Beirut as well, given by Lisette Chehadeh and Oussama Abdel Fattah, which included a dance as well as an oud performance. The expressionist performance captivated viewers with a symbolic representation of some of the struggles of the Palestinian people, as the audience watched the barriers erected around the dancer and she struggled to escape amid a darkening stage.

Sam Bahour’s personal testimony of estrangement from his homeland, Palestine, echoed the stories of millions of Palestinians. As an American of Palestinian descent, he talked of being refused permits to live in his homeland and of not knowing whether to invest - to pay school fees, to buy a house, to do anything - because the arbitrary Israeli occupation could kick him out at any point. Despite this, he insisted we must persevere and not forget, and he emphasized the need to be committed to “reconciling historical injustices to true peace.”

Steven Sosebee, of Palestine Children Relief Fund, gave an inspirational talk about his work as an American who has worked as doctor for decades in the Occupied West Bank. He was accompanied by a young girl named Hola who overcame cancer with his help and the help of Italian doctors, despite the barriers put in front of medical work in the Palestinian refugee camps by the Israeli occupation. He stressed, "Humanity requires courage. Those who employ violence, hatred and racism will be defeated through love and compassion.” Indeed, amid the stories of struggle and of barriers, the talk and the feel was upbeat.

To add to the optimism and hopefulness of Session Two, Mohammed El Dahshan, an Egyptian activist told personal stories and showed photos of the January 25 Egyptian Revolution. He stressed that while Twitter and Facebook were a great part of the revolution, the revolution as a whole was the work of the Egyptian people, those who use computers and those who do not. By highlighting personal stories El Dahshan offered hope to the audience, and gave convincing proof that oppression and brutality could be overcome through steadfastness and resistance. As he said, referencing the “New Egypt”, “It’s not over yet, but what is coming will be better.”

The session continued with the haunting voice of Rim Banna, as she sang for Palestine and for freedom, to an audience by then watching live in at least 20 cities. Her shout-out to the people of Gaza and to prisoners in Israeli jails received heavy applause and appreciation among the Gaza audience.

Julia Bacha of Just Vision followed up with scenes from her film, Budrus, the tale of the nonviolent struggle of one Palestinian village at the height of the Intifada against Israel’s apartheid wall in West Bank. Her film, which came out seven years after the struggle took place, was wildly successful - and, as she explained, was even able to convince members of the American Tea Party (a republican political movement) to support Palestine. How? As she stressed, telling real stories is the greatest way we can affect people and change their narratives. “When change comes, there will be a story, and I will keep looking for it.”

Professor Munir Fasheh of Birzeit University closed on a strong note, first offering a comedic repose before launching into a searing tirade on the occupation, stating, “The worst occupation is the occupation of knowledge.” He finished by mentioning the Egypt protests and the future of Palestine by exclaiming to applause, “elharake barake,” which means, “movement is blessing!”

Session Three: Art, Music and Expression for Resistance

Before the third session began, juicy watermelons were displayed on the screen. Then TEDxRamallah kicked off again, live from Beirut. The audience cheered loudly for Bethlehem. “Let’s try to make us sound like we are thousands,” host Shapiro quipped.

Artist Abedalrahman Katanani, who lives and works in the Gaza Hospital building in Shatila camp, where he was also born, then talked about creativity in the camps.

Then, as Katibe 5, a Palestinian rap group from Burj el Baranjeh camp in Beirut, came on stage, Shapiro told the audience to stand up. Katibe 5, a group actually made up of eight talented young Palestinians, got the whole audience to join them screaming, “Down with the Wall”.

Alessandro Petti then talked about “Decolonizing the Mind”. Petti is the director of DAAR, an art and architecture collective and residency program based in Beit Sahour, close to Bethlehem in Palestine. He reminded us that architecture can be active. It is about reusing "Israeli colonial architecture" and “re-inhabiting space”, he explained. He described how he helped the municipality of Bethlehem think about public parks. Israel occupies Palestine’s public land, he said.

Saleh Jawad then professed his love for the Palestinian land, the valleys and nature, the four seasons. He talked about the picnics he organizes, which have become a source of meeting and exchanging.

Next up was Sheerin Al Araj, a human rights activist, who was born and raised in Al Walajeh, near Bethlehem. Despite holding two Masters degrees, she walked on stage saying, “This is scary”. She then joked, “I’m standing in front of you as a Palestinian woman, not that you’d confuse me with a Swedish woman!”

Al Araj explained how one third of the houses in her village have been demolished by the Israeli army. She then described how her father lived in a cave for 12 years just to bring the family closer to their land.

She then spoke about the other inspiring people of Al Walajeh. One of them was Omar whose family home is due to be entirely walled in, yet he continues to joke. Another inspirational woman she mentioned was Siham. Siham’s home was demolished three times by the Israelis, but it was always was rebuilt. Al Araj claimed that if a movie was made about these people’s stories it would win an Oscar. They are true representatives of Palestinian steadfastness, “sumoud”, she said. Al Araj ended with: “We are here, we are fighting and we exist. We are sumadeen.”

Laila Atshan took the stage next. A psychosocial counselor working with Palestinians afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), Atshan explained that microphones, prejudice and barriers made her nervous. “We live in a world full of prejudice and barriers, but people somehow learn to go around them,” Laila commented. She explained how she admires taxi drivers in Palestine. “If three roads are closed there will be always be another one. We will get there,” she always hears.

Born blind, Atshan learned to use humor to connect with people. She told the audience that kind reactions are the best ways to teach people a lesson. Atshan ended on an inspirational note: “Let’s dare to challenge our ignorance and fear of what we don’t know.”
 

Article authored by:

Louise Virenfeldt

Timothy Naughtin

Alex Shams

Janie Shen

More news from TEDxRamallah uploaded throughout the day. Stay tuned. 

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