Art under Apartheid
Israel’s suppression of Palestinian culture and cultural production takes many forms, including the imprisonment of artists, destruction of cultural centers, denial of entry for Palestinian artists living in the diaspora, banning of events, the erasure of Palestinian cultural history, and the criminalization of commemoration of the Nakba. We aim to shine a light on this suppression and to bring the work of Palestinian artists to NYC audiences.
Dabke as Cultural Resistance
Amplify Palestine hosted a series of workshops on dabke as a form of cultural preservation and resistance with members of the premiere dance group in Palestine, El-Funoun.
Established in 1979 by a small group of artists, El-Funoun today comprises close to 300 volunteer members. The Troupe is committed to dance education, running its own dance school and youth troupe, Barem El-Funoun, in Palestine and conducting dabke training in Palestine and around the world. Through its work, El-Funoun aims to challenge oppression and resist Israel’s attempts at cultural erasure.
El-Funoun refuses conditional funding from international aid agencies and aid from organizations that have failed to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Donate to help El-Funoun continue their legacy of cultural resistance and groundbreaking art.
Susan Abulhawa, Aja Monet, Radhika Sainath, and Sarah Schulman discuss the conditions under which Palestinian artists labor, the Palestinian call for the cultural boycott of Israel, and efforts to criminalize BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) in the United States.
Aja Monet, Susan Abulhawa, Remi Kanazi, Sarah Schulman, and other cultural workers feature in this video produced within an international campaign demanding freedom for Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour.
“The poem at the center of the indictment speaks about the killing of innocent Palestinians by settlers and by occupation soldiers. Once again Israel not only kills Palestinians, but at the same time won’t even let Palestinians speak of their experience of victimhood.”
“Allow me to speak my Arab tongue before they occupy my language as well.”
Palestinian poet Rafeef Ziadah celebrated the release of her second album, We Teach Life, on an international tour in collaboration with musician Phil Monsour. (Shown here at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, NYC.)