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hatari-translations · 4 years ago

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This interview with Klemens and Anna Hildur (director of A Song Called Hate) appeared in Fréttablaðið the other day. Translation below.

"Really this is a documentarian's dream, working so closely with the subject," says filmmaker Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir. She produces and directs the documentary A Song Called Hate, which will premiere at RIFF later this month. The film is about Hatari's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in Israel in 2019, with Anna Hildur and her camera crew following the Hatari group to Israel and Palestine.

Klemens Hannigan, one of the members of Hatari, says the idea of a documentary in connection with Hatari's Eurovision participation came about early in the process. "When we decided to go ahead and participate in this contest and as we were shaping the performance and the message we wanted to convey, we already had the idea of documenting this process somehow ourselves," Klemens explains.

He says originally, though, the idea was to create a staged documentary, or 'mockumentary'. "As Hatari we want to stage everything, but then it dawns on us, when Anna has been brought in and starts to propose that this should just be a documentary, that the subject was both so fascinating and so important that a mockumentary wouldn't have done it justice," says Klemens.

Anna, who recently entered the film industry after over twenty years in the music business, proposed the idea of the film to her collaborators in Britain and began to look for a director for the project, which she was only planning to produce. "I contacted Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who directed 20000 Days on Earth with Nick Cave, and I told them I needed people like them for this project. Then I searched and searched for a director until they told me I'd just have to step in and do it myself, which I did," says Anna. "They promised to help and are executive producing the film."

Hatari vulnerable

Hatari's Eurovision participation was shrouded in mystery and neither the Icelandic audience nor the international one could predict what was coming.

Anna and Klemens say that in the film the audience gets to experience the contest and everything that came with it in a different way. The members of Hatari appear vulnerable and out of character. "There was a lot of vulnerability in being the subjects of a documentary, for us, because up until this point we had never opened up as Klemens, Matthías, Einar or the others, but it was much harder to maintain that silence and stage every moment during the contest," says Klemens.

"It was really important to catch them vulnerable and out of character, and it was a very close collaboration. We were out there with them for 18 days and it was a really unique time," says Anna. "I was very conscious that I had to stay a bit outside it all and keep my head screwed on straight, because it was a lot of work and no day was the same," she adds.

The message as the primary objective

Klemens says there was a lot of pressure on Hatari during the contest as well as in preparation for it. They were part of the Eurovision-bubble, as he calls it, part of the RÚV team and the subjects of the documentary, but their primary objective was to spread their message and take a stand against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Before Hatari's participation in Eurovision last year, opinions were divided on Iceland's participation. According to a poll by the Zenter research group for Fréttablaðið in May last year, a quarter of the population wanted to boycott the contest to support Palestinians.

"The reason we participated in this contest was that Iceland was going to participate, there would be some participant going to Tel Aviv on Iceland's behalf, and we felt that given that was happening, that participant should try their best to raise awareness of the horrific situation going on there. We wanted to show our stance in action," says Klemens.

"I thought it was very interesting to make a documentary about how they did, and it was not at all clear what would happen on this journey, there were so many unknown variables the whole time," Anna says.

"We hadn't planned anything one hundred percent but we had certain ideas about how we could support Palestinians and raise awareness of the occupation. It was always like we were jumping off a cliff because we never knew what would happen next," says Klemens. "All we knew was that the further we got, the more attention we would get and the more people would hear our message."

"For the documentarian, what mattered most was that they'd stay in the contest as long as possible, and we knew the stunt wasn't going to have any real impact unless they made it to the grand final," says Anna.

Important to use the airtime

They say that the collaboration went well and that the making of the film went smoothly. "There was basically no tension between us. We always got to know as much as possible about what would happen next, but it was frequently very exciting and even stressful. For instance, the electrified atmosphere in the green room after the final when the Palestine banners had been shown, the camera crew didn't know that ahead of time," says Anna.

Asked whether the stunt had been planned ahead of time, Klemens says it wasn't. "There were a lot of ideas going on. Whether we should get expelled from the contest, or just be completely silent on stage, say nothing at all, and then we had the banners under our clothes. When we saw we weren't getting any points from the juries and were not about to win, we realized that these would be the only seconds we'd have on camera, and we had to use that airtime."

The members of Hatari have spoken about the importance of using their agenda-setting powers and giving a voice to those who lack it; Hatari interviewed many Israeli and Palestinian activists and artists while creating the film and during the contest. Many of the connections they formed are still going strong, perhaps especially their relationship with Palestinian musician Bashar Murad.

"He was our connection to Palestinian culture and the suffering that they've been through and is still ongoing today," says Klemens. "Our collaboration with him and other Palestinians was a huge part of passing on our message," he adds.

"The art of taking a stand is the theme of the movie, as well as seeing the role of art in a social context. It can be controversial to participate and not boycott, but the dialogue between people is important. I wonder if cultural and academic boycott is truly effective in the fight for change," Anna says, adding that the journey to Israel and Palestine and the creation of the film will without a doubt be among the most memorable in her life. "I think the whole group that went there shares a life experience that we'll always keep with us, and the message will live on in the film," she says.

"We communicated the message primarily through the provocative act and our collaboration with Bashar and other artists, but now the documentary will follow up, give the act an ongoing life," says Klemens.

A Song Called Hate will premiere at the international film festival RIFF on Friday September 25th in Bíó Paradís. It will then become available on the website riff.is, as the festival is in an unusual format this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

#hatari #a song called hate #interview #translation

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betweenandbeloved · 4 years ago

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Divinity: Mastered

Well, yes and no, but as of Tuesday, I officially completed all classes and assignments for my Masters of Divinity! I’m waiting on final grades and on Friday will officially be a seminary grad!

After 3.5 years it feels crazy to finally be here, graduating seminary with my Masters of Divinity. As this chapter in my life closes I reflect back on all the things I did in seminary, and suddenly, I feel like my perpetual exhaustion has all been validated:

I took 26 classes in 5 semesters across 3 campuses. I lived in Philadelphia, took some classes in Gettysburg, and for the last year joined the Distance Learning crew online and on Zoom. I took classes in theology, history, faith formation, administration, worship, and so much more. Some of my favorite were definitely: The Lord’s Supper and the Church as Communion, Jesus and Cultural Perspectives, Theology and Praxis of Disaster Spiritual Care, and the travel seminar to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.

I completed field education with Upper Dublin Lutheran Church. I was at church every Sunday, preached a few times each semester, attended or taught confirmation, adult forum, and some Sunday School classes, and did countless other programs with the church. While also taking classes.

I completed Clinical Pastoral Education - I spent 10 weeks working at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in center city Philadelphia. I met with patients and families in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Department, and much more. I listened to stories, sat with people while they died, and learned a lot about the incredible health care workers who work so hard. I held the record for number of traumas in one night and the record number of total deaths in a CPE unit. It was hard but so holy.

I spent a year on internship working full time at First Lutheran Church in Waltham, MA. The first six months were filed with preaching, teaching, leading Bible Study, visiting members, planning worship, and more. The last six months were figuring out how to do church at the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic. I learned first hands the realistic demands of ministry and fell absolutely in love with pastoral ministry.

I worked at the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia helping to preserve Lutheran history. I spent countless hours inventorying objects, artifacts, documents, and photographs from conventions, gatherings, and congregations dating back to the 1700′s in some cases. It taught me a lot about how much the church changed in just the last few hundred years.

Pre-pandemic we had social gatherings and outings. Thursday Church Key (drinking/ social time), evening Compline worship, Wednesday chapel and community lunch, Thursday breakfast and dinner church, Sunday family dinner, Monday outings at McMens, snowball fights, football practice, and so much more. It’s this social time that I’ve missed the most in the last year with the pandemic. But we still found ways to get together outside for meals and games, worship together on Zoom, and have hallway distanced gatherings.

Above: gathered for Compline, Below: Luther Bowl 2019

I made friends from near and far. Some from the same synod, others from new synods and states, and some from across the country and world. I also reconnected with friends from ELCA Youth Gatherings and from Young Adults in Global Mission. They have all taught me something unique and interesting about church, faith, and this crazy journey we are on.

Above: YAGM friends in seminary at ULS and LTSS - Justin: Mexico, Luke: Argentina/Uruguay, Rebekah: Hungary, Catherine: UK, Me: South Africa, Below: one of the many pre-pandemic family dinners

I wanna take a minute to shoutout my best friends from seminary. Zach Dean, (now) Rev. Stephen Boyhont, and Justin Marx. These dudes supported me during meltdowns, shared food, friendship, and laughter, and were always down for an adventure to Trolly Car, Earth Bread, or Ritas. Seminary would not have been the same without them. Also a huge shoutout to Sarah Marx and Ana Crivelli (soon to be Dean) for keeping all of us sane - we wouldn’t be where we are without your love and support.

Stephen is now off doing the pastor thing in Milwaukee, WI! Prayers and blessings to Zach and Justin as their next steps continue to unfold. Enjoy this transformation photo from 2019 (pre-internship and pandemic) to our goodbye gathering for Stephen in April 2021.

There won’t be an in-person graduation ceremony, which is okay. It would have been nice to see all my friends one last time, but safety is of the utmost importance. We will all be together again someday, maybe a reunion? Maybe some ordinations in the future? Maybe future weddings (looking at you Zach and Ana)! We may be all over the country, but we will always be connected.

So what’s next for me? This is a journey filled with prayer and discernment, completing my master’s degree was just the beginning. That being said, I’m currently in conversation with the New Jersey Synod of the ELCA in the hopes of finding a congregation where I will serve my first-call as pastor! Stay tuned to see how the future unfolds!

#pastor in training #pastor school #seminary #seminary grad #graduation #pastorintraining

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drunkoctopusinc · 4 years ago

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Saw this on Instagram and not gonna lie- it kinda bugged me. Some of these points are accurate, some I disagree with but I see the argument for, others are out and out wrong. Usually the inaccuracies are due to purpously inflammatory phrasing, which is understandable since its a meme but the issues are to important for the language to stand fully uncriticed. Basically, I know it’s just a meme but I wanna pick it apart since this stuff is important and quite frankly I’m a little bored.

“Total support for Isreal”

This is true of the official platforms for each party. That being said I think it’s important to note you will find Democratic candidates and office holders with more moderated views on Isreal and (increasingly so) candidates who strongly support Palestine. There is no such moderation or diversity of opinion on the Republican side. If you want to cast your vote for someone who doesn’t support Isreal you might find that in a Democrat especially in the House of Reps, so be sure to look up your local candidates because they might surprise you on this one.

“Do Wall Streets bidding”

Wall Street is basically begging for Dodd-Frank to be repealed, and no Democrat is gonna do that. A Democratic administration created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and since 2010 there have been 3 separate bills introduced by Democrats to improve/reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. (The most recent was a bi-patrician bill sponsored by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), John McCain (R-AZ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Angus King (I-ME)) I understand how a lack of success can make it feel like Democrats are just doing Wall Street’s bidding, but that’s not the case. There are certainly differences in the level of regulation Democrats are asking for, but the broad strokes is Democrats want regulations put on Wall Street, while Republicans believe Wall Street can be trusted to do whatever they want.

“Unlimited Military Spending”

Much to my chagrin, this is true. Regardless of party affiliation it’s good for any elected official to say they brought jobs to the district, and more fighter jets mean more jobs building fighter jets. No one wants to rock that boat.

“Hostility to Russia, Iran, & China”

This one has multiple parts with varing degrees of debatablity. For Russia the Obama Administration tried to soften relations but Putin basically responded “No thanks Toots” and proceeded to violated Ukraine’s sovrienty, back a dictator using chemical weapons on his own people, and meddle in our elections. Basically the Dems tried but it’s a two way street and Russia’s gotta be on board too. Meanwhile Trump and the Republicans seem to be fine with Russia paying militants to kill Americans and undermining democratic norms in the 2016 US elections as well as a bunch of other European elections so seems like they want to get along with Russia whatever it fucking takes. So I’d say there’s a pretty big difference on that one.

Regarding Iran, there’s not much difference between Democrats and Republicans. Both are skeptical about Iran and don’t want to risk the alliances we have with other middle eastern nations in order to tighten bonds with Iran. HOWEVER, the Iran Nuclear Treaty was a huge step forward in calming tensions which damn near every democrat supported. And the Republicans basically yeeted it into the sun for no good reason. So at least democrats don’t want to make shit worse with Iran. As for China 100% hositlites would have remained the same with a Dem and probably most Republicans. But at the moment Republicans support an active trade war with China which is only making our relations with them worse. So for both Iran and China the Dems gotta get at least some points for not wanting to make shit worse.

“Full Spectrum Dominance.”

Yes. Both parties want the US to a strong political and economic force on the world stage without any major foreign threats. (TBH I struggle to see the problem with this because that dominance could be used to give every nation wi-fi and tasty cookies just easily as to perpetuate rampant injustice especially when its so vauge as to what they mean by Full Spectrum Dominance. But I don’t have nothing against you if you don’t want the US to persue dominance as goal.)

“Let Money Rule politics”

Campaign finance reform is a complicated issue because there isn’t 1 clear answer for how to do it. Campaigning costs a lot of money and candidates have to get that money somehow, unfortunately there isn’t really an answer for how it needs to be done that can’t in some way be attacked for not going far enough or not solving the real problem. So while Democrats generally try to find solutions and create reform, it is perfectly understandable and reasonable to feel they aren’t actually solving anything. However I think it’s important note (given how important this years election is) that Joe Biden has been very consistent on voting for campaign finance reform for the past 40 years, even going so far as to create a system of public funding for congressional elections in the early 90s. So if this is a high priority issue for you Joe Biden has a strong record on it.

“Neoliberalism Rocks!”

I’ve found online the term “neoliberalism” is used to describe such a wide range of policies it’s becoming less and less clear exactly what a person means by saying “neoliberalism.” So how accurate this claim is really depends on how you define “neoliberal.” That caveats aside, traditionally both parties have their neoliberal cohorts, and they do wield a far bit of power since they usually are the “deal makers” who talk more with the other side and create the compromises which get broad enough support to pass. However, the Republican Party has been drifting away from neoliberal policies for some time and has been completely sprinting away from them since trump was elected. For example here are some policies self described neoliberals love which recent republicans have taken a massive shit on; Free Trade, easier immigration, and a carbon tax. Neoliberals are inherently in the middle so yes both parties have neoliberal segments (Bill Clinton, Bush Senior for example) but Republicans are rapidly running further and further right, so if not already accurate to say “Neoliberals universally identify as democrats” it will be soon.

“Spy on Everyone!”

This is a bit hyperbolic but yeah mostly. While there are officals on both sides who want to stop or at least curb the survalince state when talking about the respective parties as a whole there aren’t big differences on changing this, at least not public ones.

“Screw the Old and the Poor!”

This one is just so wildly overstated as to be impossible to really discuss/debate effectively. I could say this is false because both parties agree we should strive to eleminate poverty but they differ on how. I could also say this is true because neither party has proposed a solution which would actually help end poverty, or I could say this is false because the Democratic platform includes issues like raising the minimum wage and expanding the social safety net which will help the poorest Americans. There’s no way to really analyze for accuracy because its so broad and emotional that it’s really more of an opinion statement than anything. (To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with such a statement. In many ways they are critical to the nations broader political discussion. it just doesn’t lend itself to what I’m looking to do with this post and I felt it would have been dismissive to just say “it’s an emotional argument so I don’t care”) The only substantive thing I can say here which still fits into my general structure is no candidate wants to do anything against old people because old people vote in big numbers. It’s the reason despite talk of cutting medicare and social security Republicans haven’t actually tried anything substantial on those issues.

“Oligarchy not democracy”

This is another one that gets caught up in definition. If you use the strictest definition of democracy and a broad definiton of Oligarchy then yes this is right but otherwise it really depends on how you define oligarchy. The majority of Americans have the right to vote, thus they have a say in what our government does. This would generally meet the most common definition of democracy and neither party wants to change that (at least not officially.) there is no bi partisan call for the wealthiest 1% or even the wealthiest 10% of Americans to have exclusive control over our governance. Of course that’s the most inflammatory version of this statement, and I doubt that’s what the person who wrote it was saying. The more likely definition of oligarchy this person was using is a government where an elite class hold a disproportionate share of political power rather all political power. In which case it’s very very hard to agrue the US isn’t an oligarchy. I mean even if we put aside the more heavily debated question of how strongly political power and money are, I think everyone would agree my senator has more political power than I do. Plus, the founders didn’t want “mob rule” they were terrified of a populist leader rising up, so they didn’t create a pure democracy. Instead they made republic, which one could argue is simultaneously an oligarchy and a democracy. This means when anyone looks to maintain the current american system even in the broadest strokes it could be agrued they’re supporting oligarchy over democracy. However you could just as easily argue they’re supporting democracy. The line between oligarchy and democracy aren’t as clear as we’d like them to be. (And of course when you bring the “how strongly are political power and money connected” debate back into the picture it only gets more obscured). Now, to finally get to my point, the degree to which the US is an oligarchy is unclear and so is the degree to which each party supports maintaining the oligarchical elements. However I think saying that either party doesn’t support democracy is inaccurate. BUT I also think it is vital that we recognize under Trump the Republican Party has tolerated repeated undermining of our democratic system risking serious and dangerous backsliding into totalitarianism. The Democratic Party has not engaged in this backsliding at all and has fought against it as much as they can, and you absolutely must understand that as you vote this fall.

“Vive US imperialism!”

Yeah this is pretty much spot on. I mean I don’t think either political party is looking to conquer Cuba or to steal Baja California from Mexico but yeah the bulk of people in each party are at the very least not invested in reducing what has been called “Neo-imperialism” which is almost certainly what this statement is referring to, so while I could get this on the technically but that would be disingenuous.

“outlaw third parties”

Third parties are legal. No one wants to make them illegal, the constitution also wouldnt let them. The problem is our voting system makes third parties mathematically unstrategic. You could argue they are functionally unallowed and there’s no insensitive for either party to change that so the idea here isn’t to far off, but outlawing third parties is such a bold claim, and that mathy disadvantage is drastically reduced in local races. So if you support a third party or want to create a third party, go for it. Just know that your efforts will be best spent starting local.

“Crush the left”

Pretty sure “the left” here means self described socialists and further left in which case yes. the establishment of both parties are still scared by the s-word and even worse the c-word because no one wants to be the USSR. But there are loads of people who would define the left as the democrats and the Democratic Party doesn’t want to crush Democratic Party. (It doesn’t mean to be a self destructive idiot but sometimes it just can’t help itself) so again I know what they’re going for here but little astrisk for other people might not.

“Regime change is cool.”

If regime change was something both parties liked there would be US troops in Venezuela right now. The oldest Democrats might not be out and out against all regime change but no democrat (and plenty of Republicans quiet frankly) want to repeat the Iraq War. When it comes to regime change worse case something democrats and republicans disagree on and best case something they both agree is bad.

TL;DR- there are key differences between the political parties, regardless of what a meme might say. It’s not the 90s anymore so those differences are pretty big and only getting bigger. To each there own on who and what they support, so do your research and learn which party and which candidates best represents your values.

PS- if it’s Donald Trump go jump of a bridge.

#2020 election #joe biden #donald trump #democrats #republicans #discourse #im kinda just venting here about the sloppy Rhetoric the internet praises #like i know theres no reason to expect nuanced debate #but it bums me out we dont actually understand the other side of any agrument because we only see there self-congratulatory memes #nothing wrong with memes #just they arent a subsitute for actual discussion #anyway this is just me over thinking stuff

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lollipoplollipopoh · 6 years ago

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🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Wedding on Hold: Palestine, Politics and Prison | Al Jazeera World by Al Jazeera English Filmmaker: Bashar Ghannam Weddings are a cause for celebration everywhere in the world. For Palestinians, they can be a way of keeping their valuable traditions alive and helping to deal with life under Israeli occupation. But for the women in this film, that day may never come because their fiances are serving life sentences in Israeli jails. "The positive side of being in prison is that it helped us become closer," says Ahlam Ahmed al-Tamimi, a former prisoner who was engaged to her cousin Nizar al-Tamimi in 2005 while they were both serving life sentences. They eventually married after being released during the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011. But at the time, Ahlam describes how their very relationship was a symbol of resistance. "I resisted the occupation with my love and my engagement to this prisoner. Through the engagement, the prisoner tells the occupier that his life continues," says Ahlam. Ahlam al-Tamimi served eight years of a life sentence for her role in a bombing in 2001 that killed 15 people and wounded 130. She got engaged to her cousin, Nizar, while he too was serving a life sentence, for killing an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank. The US now wants to extradite Ahlam from Jordan, where she now lives, because US citizens were killed in the 2001 bombing; and she is on an FBI 'most-wanted' list. The two other women, Ghufran al-Zamal and Amna al-Jayousi, have more complex stories - and little chance of a similar outcome, yet they remain hopeful. Amna was already legally married to Ahmed al-Jayoussi who was arrested for helping manufacture suicide belts, a week before their planned wedding ceremony in 2002. But despite pressure from her extended family to abandon Ahmed in prison, Amna's commitment to him is unwavering, even after 17 years. "I booked an 'afterlife husband', a husband for life and for afterlife....Ahmed and I are not just a couple. We are one soul in two bodies," she says. Ghufran, on the other hand, had never even met Hassan Salameh when she proposed marriage to him. He was in prison, serving 48 life sentences for his part in fatal attacks in Jerusalem in 1996. But inspired by Ahlam and Nizar's experience, she initiated the connection with Hassan through Ahlam. "It was difficult for me as a woman to take the first step, to discuss this subject and break social taboos by proposing to a man," she explains. Ghufran was familiar with Hassan's case and in her letters she says, "As he considered his sentence part of a sacrifice, I said I wanted to share it with him and asked him not to deny me this happiness...I wrote that I would share his suffering, his pain and his life." Initially, Hassan refused to allow Ghufran to get mixed up in his life and imprisonment - but he later agreed when Ahlam convinced him that "engagement would be a beam of light in a dark place." While sometimes letters can take up to a year to arrive, Ghufran and Hassan have created their own world which she says transcends time and space: "We challenged our circumstances and, for us, prison didn't exit...we planned for our future life and thought about everything. We defied this reality," contends Ghufran. "The prison management make fun of prisoners' engagement," explains Ahlam...or "prevent the detainee from getting the letter...Sometimes the security agent would tell me, 'your fiance fainted while in hunger strike' or that they beat him until bleeding, and it's all fake news." "The purpose is to keep us under constant stress," she adds. According to the Jerusalem-based human rights organisation B'tselem, in February 2019, there were over 5,000 Palestinians languishing in Israeli prisons. The idea of women committing to men in prison with long sentences is a little-known aspect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as an intensely personal and complex one. Regardless of what the men may have done to be handed their multiple life sentences, Ahlam, Ghofran and Amna's unrelenting loyalty to them is inseparable from their desire for a Palestinian homeland, the personal and the political completely intertwined. - Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://bit.ly/2lOp4tL #Aljazeeraenglish #News

#youtube #video #news #aljazeera

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learnionline · 8 years ago

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USMLE STEP 1 EXPERIENCE Amjad Elmashala (Step 1 score 269) So many of you have asked for my experience, I’m sorry for the delay as I just had the step 2 CS exam two days ago. I am a recent graduate of Al-Quds University in Palestine, andnow an intern. I was confused at the beginning whether to take step 2 CK (like all graduates from my university) or step 1. My friend „Kinana Abu-Rayyan‟ talked to me for hours about the benefits of doing step 1 before step 2, and now I know she is right. She‟s always right hahaha! So, I started my preparation on the 15th of July, 2016, but the real kick in was not until July 30th, when another friend of mine Mohammad Adawi decided to begin preparing for the step 1 as well. I read a lot of experiences to decide how I want to proceed with this, and I saw so many students scoring in the 250s and 260s who have only done UWorld “UW”, First Aid “FA” and Pathoma (UFAP). My target was to get at least 250 in the beginning of my preparation. I started with pathology, since it was the least terrifying to me and I did not want to get disappointed or bored from the very beginning. I watched one chapter of Pathoma videos each day, then I went on to read the same chapter from the book. At the same time, I was doing the UW pathology questions for that particular chapter at night. My friend and I usually then talked at 10 or 11 pm when we were done to discuss some of the questions that were either confusing or that we got wrong, and share our ways of thinking on these particular questions. It was really beneficial to see how he was thinking. This took us about 25 days and anywhere between 5 and 8 hours per day. We were also skimming through FA especially towards the end of the 22 days, but I wouldn’t say that we really studied it. Then we decided to move on to biochemistry, we watched Kaplan 2014 biochemistry videos (44 hours) with Dr. Turco and went through FA. Genetics was explained in the first half of the videos, so we took a couple of days to answer UW questions in Genetics, then we went back to finish the metabolic part and answer all the biochemistry questions from UW. This process took us two weeks. Then we went on to study physiology, we read the BRS and FA at the same time, and answered the UW physiology questions. We needed 10 days to get that done. After that, we started watching Pharmacology videos. I watched Kaplan 2014 videos and my friend watched 2010 videos. The 2010 videos have much more details and I think they are worth doing more than the 2014 videos. We did the pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics and autonomic nervous system drugs from Kaplan. We read FA at the same time and answered UW pharmacology questions. We left the antimicrobials until we study microbiology. This took us another 10 days. Then, we studied microbiology and immunology from FA we watched videos only for the antimicrobials from Kaplan 2014, and we were going through the UW questions at the end of each. These two took us two weeks, but we knew that we will have to come back to them many times to master them – so many details. After that, we watched the Kaplan 2014 videos for anatomy and read FA, then went through UW anatomy questions. This is one of the topics that made us suffer all the way during our studying. I still don‟t know what to recommend for you. Anatomy took us 10 days of preparation. Finally, we watched the Kaplan 2014 videos for behavioral science, psychiatry, and biostatistics for the last couple of weeks of our first preparation. They were okay but definitely not enough, especially for international medical students who barely study these topics. We went through UW questions, and they were pretty tough, we didn’t have the right framework for answering the questions correctly. That‟s why in our second time of studying, we read the 100 cases in medical ethics by the amazing Conrad Fischer. It took us one day to finish, which was the day of the Classico. It‟s a very well written book and very easy to understand. So these were the first 3 months, give or take a few days. At this time, I took NBME 13. I always liked to challenge myself and see how I‟m progressing. My friend didn’t like to do that, so it really depends on what you prefer. I got 17 questions incorrect, but some of the questions were missing. Do not multiply the number of correct questions by 1.3 or 1.4, this really doesn’t help you predict your score. Just know how many questions you got incorrect and learn from your mistakes. The only way to find out is to take an online NBME or to find someone who took the same NBME online and got the same amount mistakes as you did. From around the 10th of November until the 7th of December, it was time to go through FA from cover to cover one time. Two pieces of advice that I would like to give you here because I noticed them after we were done with the FA. The first one is NEVER EVER leave UW questions or any other questions for a long period. You really lose your sense of reading the questions fast and answering unknown questions to you correctly. The second piece of advice is to do Biochemistry then, for example, Cardiology and Endocrinology, then to go back to Microbiology and then do another 2 chapters from the second half of the book, and so on and so forth. This way you will not be bored by the dry material presented in biochemistry,microbiology, and immunology. During the same period, I watched some of the USMLERx videos, which go through the FA book page by page. The new videos are excellent, and I highly recommend them. They were equivalent to Kaplan videos. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to watch all of them. After that, I took NBME 15 and got 250. I was relieved at that moment because I have already reached my target. On December 9th, we registered for the online UW for a couple of months along with the two self-assessments (which I highly recommend). UW took us 25 days to complete for the second time. During this period, we started taking one NBME each week, so that by the 5th of January,we have done 3 more NBMEs. For the following 2 weeks, my friend Kinana Abu-Rayyan convinced me to start doing NBMEs. Before that, I was planning only on taking 3 or 4 of them. But she has a great spirit. So we started doing 50-100 questions per night, and we would talk for two or even three hours to discuss every single question. At this point, NBME became a learningand not an assessment tool. NBME helps a lot with exposing you to difficult questions that you might have never heard of. It also makes you better at guessing the right answer, even when you have no clue how to get to it. We also did UWorld Self-Assessment (UWSA) 1 and 2 at three weeks and two weeks before the exam respectively. My scores were 274 and 269, and I was on the 96th and 92 nd percentile in each UWSA. I did not care much about the number, but the percentile gave me some reassurance. My friend and I traveled to Jordan to take the test in Amman on the 30th of January. Our scheduled test was supposed to be on the 1 st of February. On the night before the exam, I didn’t sleep well – I was too nervous. I woke up and got ready for the test. I arrived at the center 45 minutes earlier. This is where I had my bad experience. The people at the center tried to log me in at around 8 am, but the system got stuck, so I had to wait for a whole hour to fix the problem. Then, they tried to log me in again at 9 am, and it didn’t work. All examinees were already in except for me. At 10.20, they came to me and asked me if I want to reschedule my test for another day. I told them “No”, I mean I wanted to be free at the end of the day and just relax. So they tried to log me in another couple of times and didn’t work for reasons that I still don’t know. At 11.40, they told me that, if I want, they can get me another test in 15 minutes. This time I refused, I was so tired of waiting, I had tachycardia for most of the time outside and I vomited once. So, I decided not to take the test, go back home and reschedule for the next week. I was depressed for the following three days. I was sleeping for 12 hours at times! My friendstayed with me for that period. I reviewed a little bit of biochemistry and microbiology two days before my rescheduled test. I made sure that I would not get disturbed at that night. I went to bed at 9 and had a wonderful night sleep. I woke up in the morning refreshed. I packed my snacks and kept on my pajamas, and I headed to the center and hoped not to experience what I experienced 5 days ago. I was not stressed for the second time as the first time. As soon as I began the test, I felt I was back home answering UW questions. The questions were more like UWSA than NBME, and they were long. I didn’t have any problem with time management. I always had at least 15 minutes left to go over questions I flagged. I was able to revise two complete blocks during the test. I decided to take a break after the first two blocks, then the second two blocks, and then after each block till the end of the exam. When I was on break, I was staring outside the windows and smiling :) because first I know that I’m going home today with that burden off my back, and second, the questions I got weren’t extraterrestrial. I got 7-8 questions per block which were difficult and 2-3 which were really challenging. Materials used during preparation Pathology Pathoma once, UW and FA … and no, I didn’t read Goljan or Robbins Biochemistry Kaplan videos 2014, UW and FA Pharmacology Kaplan videos 2014, first 3 chapters of Kaplan book, UW, and FA Physiology BRS physiology, UW, and FA Microbiology & immunology UW and FA Anatomy Kaplan videos 2014, UW and FA Behavioral science and biostatistics Kaplan videos 2014, 100 cases of ethics, UW and FA National Board Medical Examinations (NBMEs) NBME 1 → 14 incorrect questions NBME 4 → 10 incorrect questions NBME 5 → 12 incorrect questions NBME 6 → 10 incorrect questions NBME 7 → 17 incorrect questions (9 mistakes in the last block, I was very tired at that moment) NBME 11 → 15 incorrect questions NBME 12 → 16 incorrect questions NBME 13 → 6 incorrect questions NBME 15 → 15 incorrect questions NBME 16 → 12 incorrect questions NBME 17 → 13 incorrect questions NBME 18 → 15 incorrect questions, which corresponds to 261 … it was the closest to the real exam and I recommend that you take it last and online. UWorld Self-Assessments For the UW self-assessments, I felt like the exam was more similar to these than the NBMEs as Ihave stated earlier. When I took these UWSAs, I always woke up early, made myself breakfast and a cup of tea, and tried to simulate the real exam as much as possible. UWSA 1 → 274 (96th percentile) UWSA 2 → 269 (92nd percentile) Finally, I would love to take the chance to thank my family, and my friends especially the ones who took the exam in the same time – Mohammad Adawi (259) and Kinana Abu-Rayyan (257) for supporting me all the way through. And for you, my friends, I wish you all the best of luck on your preparations and on your tests. Author Amjad Elmashala Acknowledgements This article was first published on USMLE Step 1 Preparation Forum (a Facebook group). It was republished here with permission from the author. Write an Article Today Knowledge grows when shared…share some today. It’s easier than you think by Amjad Elmashala PREVIOUS ARTICLE Hallpike Maneuver and Epley Maneuver – Don’t Confuse NEXT ARTICLE My Journey to Score 244 2 Comments Comment 1 Bipin May 7, 2017 at 21:47 Thank you for sharing your experiences Comment 2 Rupert Green May 8, 2017 at 12:44 Congratulations Amjad.

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pregnantinpalestine-blog · 8 years ago

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Mothering Communally.

Last week I posted our blog on a Facebook mom’s group I am a part of. It is a community of mothers in Victoria, BC who have had babies born in 2016. It is a confidential place to ask questions, express frustration and share joys. It exemplifies the way technology can actually bring people, who may not have otherwise connected, together.

There was a lot of response to the blog, namely encouraging words. Some expressed they thought we were brave for traveling so far/long with our baby, some were inspired and excited about their own upcoming travels, some said they were happy to be informed about the situation here that they did not have much previous knowledge.

Why am I telling you this? Well it illustrates a number of things. First of all, the power of community. I often encouraged by the comments on this group and feel loved by a league of (mostly) strangers. I think (and sometimes write) about the extreme sense of community that we have experienced here in Palestine. Though a different type than a group of new mothers on Facebook, we have experienced the power of community in its ability to transcend cultural, religious and schema differences. The feeling of being welcomed into a group of people is definitely a good one, whether it be mother’s online or Palestinians face to face.

Secondly, I can really relate to some of what the mum’s are posting about back in Victoria. Only I am currently living an entirely different lifestyle over 10,000km away. As a first time mom I have the same questions that are border line embarrassing to ask, or can laugh at stories similar to our own experience, or feel for a mother who is overtired and needing some extra support. I am sure a lot of the mum’s in Palestine could relate to some of these posts too.

Thirdly, it highlights that it is easy to get caught up in our own lives. While we may be super concerned that our child’s sleeping pattern has changed or that they haven’t started crawling yet, here another mother, though probably worried about the same things, might also be concerned that her child’s sleep space might be demolished. I am not writing this to diminish the issues that trouble us in Canada, but only seek to encourage people to have open eyes that seek to learn about the problems of those in other worlds as well.

That was a long introduction to write about the joys and struggles of being a mother in Palestine to our little goose. Being a mother in Palestine is both so similar and also very different. Some examples…

Leaving her with a babysitter for the first time: Presumably, like many other first time parents of a young child, there came a time when we had to leave Anaija with a babysitter. We most often take her with us wherever we go, from restaurants to soccer sidelines to yoga class, she is our little buddy. Of course both Landon and I have been away from her (together) at the same time, but that happened organically. This event was planned, and naturally we felt a little trepidacious. The reason for the babysitter, is perhaps unique, but that angst of leaving your child isn’t. Either way, there was absolutely no chance she could come with us; the event was a demonstration on Nakba day, where we marched from Bethlehem to the wall. We knew with almost complete certainty that, although the demonstration is non-violent, Israeli Occupation Forces would be firing tear gas, rubber bullets and perhaps live ammunition; an environment that would be lethal and unsafe for an infant. So we left Anaija with our dear friend, and it worked out perfectly; Landon inhaled gas and stayed close to the front of the demonstration, I stayed far back (running shoes on) away from the gas, and Anaija slept and played with our friend. For all she knew, we went out for a nice lunch… Disclaimer: there is absolutely no way that our friends would have let us go to the demonstration with Anaija; their love for her is so abundant and care for her well-being so profound that at times it feels like she is the safest baby in the world (in the middle of a refugee camp in occupied Palestine). That juxtaposition is not lost on us!

Flexibility and predictability: We feel very fortunate that Anaija is so chill! The first 2 months of her life were a different story, and like many other first time parents, you don’t really have a benchmark to compare her against. We tried not to complain, even after completely sleepless nights, because we figured: “this is parenting.” We’ve heard it from our parents and countless other parents: “parenting can be the greatest joy, but most difficult challenge of your life.” So, when Anaija cried constantly for the first 2 months, we reassured each other, if billions of other people can do this, so can we. Then, when she was 8 weeks old, everything changed. She stopped crying (unless there was a predictable reason), started sleeping through the night soon after and became a generally “easy” baby! Given our initial experience, I think it is important to express the profound differences between the two Anaijas. Quite simply, some baby’s are more difficult than others, and we feel very lucky that she has given us so much sleep and so few problems over the last 4 months. If we’d tried to travel during the first two months, we’d have seen the inside of a lot of hotel rooms, but been too exhausted to get out. Anaija recognized early on, days are more fun if you get a good nights sleep!

The first fall: You hear the stories of babies falling off the couch or bed, or bonking their head on the ground when learning to sit solo, and I always knew the day would come that something similar would happen to Anaija. Of course, it did. Landon had just started playing in a soccer game, with Anaija safely babbling in her car seat on the sidelines, waiting for me to get there as I was coming back from a run. When I got there, Anaija and I continued watching the game. Landon subbed off the field and both of us were sitting on a step, with Anaija beside us in her seat (without the belt on). All of a sudden we heard Anaija’s ‘hurt’ cry, and we were horrified to see that she had flipped face forward onto the field, the car seat now on top of her. Instantly (I didn’t know how fast my reflexes could be until this moment), we picked her up and began consoling the panicked baby, checking her for any real injury or signs of concussion. Eventually she calmed down and napped in my arms, tired from the trauma she had just endured. Thankfully, she was fine and the face plant only resulted in some scratches on her nose and a bit of a fat lip. Oh, and a nice surprise in her diaper two days later… turf beads.

Growth and change: Babies grow and change at alarming rates. When we spend everyday with Anaija, however, it is more difficult to recognize these changes than for people who don’t see her all the time. I am so excited for our loved ones at home to spend time with Anaija at this happy, giggly, smiley, interactive, rolly, not-yet-crawling stage. She is definitely physically growing, her hips (legs) don’t lie. She is still only breastfeeding, as we didn’t want to be introducing foods in Nepal, where the water is not safe to drink and food related bacterial infections are common. Anaija is developing in other ways too. She easily grabs things and is learning to control her gross and fine motor skills. But let’s be real, she still spazzes all the time, fluttering her hands like a crazy bird, but hey, we are making progress. She loves to move and jump in the Jolly Jumper for long periods of time and rolls over. And over. And over again. Landon and I rejoice in all of her developments, often looking like ‘those parents’, who oogle and aww at their baby. We definitely have all eyes for her. And today? She got her first tooth, somehow making us the proudest parents in all the land.

All of these Anaija examples could be written by a Palestinian mother. Or a Nepali father. Or Canadians like us. More and more traveling with our little one makes me realize how much I value community, not only for the help and support it can provide, but also because life is better when joys are shared. I am super grateful that I get to ‘mother’ communally with others; seeking wisdom from parents who have done it before, comfort from a group of women doing it now, exposure to other ways of doing it from mothers and fathers abroad, and love and support from my partner. That is what I call a blessed mama.

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socialartrefugecamp-blog · 8 years ago

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storyteller

I am powerful, because you know me...

to tell your story is an act of empowerment

You become whole, you remember who you are, you let others step into your life by your own choice and meet them, able to share something valuable with them.

Zain Fourati (name changed for family’s safety), a young man from Syria, told us about his life back home, his journey to Europe and his dreams for the future. We had asked him to be “Hakauate”, story teller for the children and had given him stories every night of our stay (old heroes tales), which he translated and told, sitting down in front of the group of children: strong soul-food.

In a long interview* he gave us insights in the complicated political happenings of the last years, the taste of life he led back home, always hoping for times to get better… “I still can’t believe it. War happened so quickly, as a surprise. Syria was a rather peaceful country before that. Well, oppressed by this one family of Assad since the 80s, but peace. Now everything is changed.”

We ask him, if he thinks the situation of refugees from Syria will continue in the future. “It will continue, yes. because the Middle East, they have a lot of problems. Because Russia, America, the big countries they have a power, they come here, to the Middle East and they make a problem. It is a cold war. They make propaganda: this is Christian, this is Muslim, you want to fight, I come to protect you. Before we didnt have propaganda in Syria; Muslim, Christian, other religions, we were the same, a community, united.

We wanted to know: people who flee from Syria, do they have the feeling inside of them that they are actually members of that community that is divers? They have no problems with other religions, cultures….?

He thinks that cultural diversity actually always was a trait of Syria: “My aunt and uncle live in Germany, he came from Syria and married a Christian German. And they have four children: three boys, Muslim, one girl, she is a doctor, Christian. This is my family. And my grandfather he is married to a Kurdish woman. He is Arabic. Community.”

We asked him about his decision and experiences of his journey to Europe.

Heart wrenching adventures. Living on the streets in Turkey. Stepping up to be the captain of a little ship that bore him and about 50 other people, mostly women and children, to safer shores across the sea from Turkey to Greece. The angel-faced people on the rescue-boat close to the Greek shore, who found them traveling in this small rubber boat that just had started to collapse…. How he became team-leader in a camp of Greece, organizing the food line.

No: WHY does this happen? No anger for us here in Europe, unable to help sooner, or not at all for so many others left at sea…..

“The real refugees are back in Syria…”

“The country that accepts me is my home country”, Zain says. “I am waiting and some days it is too much.” But he meets good people, who, like him, travel full of hope. He brings his dream with him: to go on studying, to work hard, to have a family. He wants to start working with Humanitarian Organizations. “Because I have experience.”

And he can give hope to the children: “Hakauate is a good thing for them. They smile. They forget for a while. When I tell a story, I tell it for my little brother back home. I miss him so much.”

He always wanted to travel, get to know the world. Back home he studied to be a Topographer, a map-maker. Now he rather would be able to travel back home. “If I had a choice now, I would choose my country, without war…”

* The interview script:

Interview in the Park

My village looks like this, garden, green and waters…. The big city is very different for me. I come from a village. -How many people live in your village? 6 thousand. But here, you are always with yourself……

-You think you can work in your old job when you go to Belgium? No, maybe I will change my University. -What would you like to do? Humanity Organization. To help the refugees. Because I have the experience. Maybe I start to change…… I don’t know.

-So you believe the situation with Refugees will continue in the future? It will continue, yes. because the Middle East they have a lot of problems. Because Russia, America, the big countries they have a power, they come here, to the Middle East and they make a problem. They make propaganda: this is Christian, this is Muslim, you want to fight, I come to protect you. Before we didnt have propaganda in Syria; Muslim, Christian, other religions, we were the same, a community, united. But after, when other countries came to Syria, (it changed).

-People who flee from Syria, do they have the feeling inside of them that they are actually members of that community that is divers? They have no problems with Christians…. No no no, I am; and my aunt and uncle in Germany, he married a Christian German. And they have four children: three boys, Muslim, one girl, she is a doctor, Christian, the wife is Christian, he is Muslim. This is my family. And my grandfather he is married to a Kurdish woman. He is Arabic. Community.

- The problem in Syria is already long. Many of you travel to Europe, but they already live in Jordan, many years Yes, we have in Jordan in in Lebanon and in Turkey also. So (for many people) its long since they lived in their country. They left Syria years ago. Me, I was there. We have so many questions. Because, of course, many refugees come to Europe now. But before, it was only young man who came. No women, no children. Only young men: your age and younger. -Yes, they leave, because they cannot stay in the war. And the Syrian people (are) peaceful people. We didn’t have a lot of wars. This happened, like, quickly. Surprising. You believe wars happen surprising? -Yes. I can`t believe it, until this moment that this is happening in Syria. I cant believe it.

We had a very interesting talk with the man from Sudan, Moavia. We are young, and we start to work with refugees in Germany and we ask ourselves: How can it be possible? So many people, such a different culture, so many difficult stories - what can we do? How can we find ways to come together? Moavia told us something very encouraging, something we already know: you need to make it possible, that THEY show THEMSELVES. That they tell their own stories. That they become visible. They need to become productive. I cannot go and say: welcome in Germany, are you interested in my culture? No, I cannot do that. You have to do this. I cannot start it. -Yes. Look, the people who left Syria, the war, they need just to be safe. Just safety. It doesn`t matter which country they go. But sometimes this is important, because: the Syrian people have the experience of a lot of refugees: from Irak, from Palestine, from Lebanon, in the past from Somalia and Pakistan and many years ago from Greece, when they had a war with Turkey. They came to Syria - and we don`t have a camp there in Syria, we don´t know this, people shared their homes with the refugees: this half for the refugee, the other half for me. But after the war in Syria started, all the countries closed their border. They put Syrian refugees in big camps in Jordan. One million people in Zaatari. -What did you think then? I don’t know. Because the presidents are bad people. Arabic presidents they are bad people. All the Arabic people don`t need these presidents. They are dictators. And they steal the money from the people, the population. Everything they say is lies, you know that? The arabic people need a revolution. But when they do this, there come the other countries, Russia, USA - In Syria for example, they need a revolution, they need freedom. They went outside (on the streets) and just (shouted): Freedom, Freedom! They didn´t have guns. This is how this started. After this the dictator started to kill the people. He thinks: nobody speaks with me. Syria is for me and for my family. (…) Syria was a democracy. But the father of this dictator now (Assad), 1982 he killed 40.000 people - but there was no media - and after this, Assad was in power. His family started to be like a king of Syria. Syria is no kingdom, it is democratic. The rebels inside Syria tried to make Syria more democratic and not for one family only. And you can`t say anything political. You don`t have the freedom like this. In Europe you don`t have this: when you speak critically, you will be afraid, because maybe in the night they come and take you to prison and nobody knows about you, your family, nothing! This happened in Syria, 50 years ago until this moment. Until the revolution started. Assad started to kill the people, and he invited Russia to Syria. For example, if Angela Merkel told France to come to Germany and help her fight, because she has a revolution against her, and the French army start to kill the children, the people in Germany - what would be your opinion? Assad took Russia and Iran, a lot of militia, Hizbollah from Lebanon, from Irak, they paid Afghan refugees in Iran to come to Syria to fight. Iran sent their army and Russia. And from North Korea too. All these people they are fighting in Syria.

Why do you think is this? What is so interesting about Syria?

(….) So there is a lot of money involved. A lot of money interests. It is a cold war in Syria. Between Russia and America. This is what you say, this is what you know? Yes. And there is another reason. In Islam we have Sunni and Shia. Iran, Shia. Saudia Arabia, Emirate, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, Sunna. The population in Syria, most of them, Sunna. 90%. And we have Christians and a little Shia. This little Shia community holds a lot of powerful positions in Syria. Assad is Alawi from Shia. Saudi Arabia said, they were with the people and with the revolution, but they just send money and more war. And when people wanted to flee to Saudi Arabia, they closed the borders. I wanted to go there first. They didn`t accept me. So I came to Europe. By boat.

Many people flee to Jordan first, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt Why is Europe so interesting? Because they say in the Middle East, in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordania: Europe is better than these countries. The governments there don’t help the refugees. We have a lot of kids, they want to learn, they go to school, the boys want to continue university, they want to start their life again. And European countries they respect the human, humanity and they help you. In a country like Lebanon I felt like an animal. Just work work work. There are no perspectives, no hope. Like, I want to be a pilot, I can’t do this there. Because: no university, nothing never. In Turkey I worked, sometimes they didn’t give me money. So I stayed without money for food, shelter, anything.

What do you know about Belgium? How do you think is life there? Look, I want to…. maybe I will start my life again there. I will start everything there. Because everything is destroyed in Syria, and between the countries Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, I had a lot of time, 2 years, a long time. In Belgium everything will be better. You know, Greece and Germany have a very different approach to refugees? It is different to be a refugee in Germany than in Greece, you know that? Every country in Europe is different in dealing with refugees. Yes, of course. All the Syrian people, they have a relative in Germany. And they want to go to their relatives, to stay together in family - but I am with myself, I don`t have a special country. I am a man alone, my family in Syria, I am free. And Belgium accepted me, Belgium, she wants me. She needs me, she accepts me. This is respect for me, I thought. And when I arrive there, I will start my life there. I will respect the law and I will give something good for this country that accepted me. Even if it is going to be hard? Maybe the first years will be hard… No problem. She accepted me and my life there. A new country for me. After Syria, Belgium. Because in Greece, maybe 9 months I stayed here, before in Turkey, 9 months in Istanbul, but now, it is only a passing country. But Belgium: the last one. The last station Let’s see! If you wanna work with refugees, maybe not! Ok but I can imagine in the future to be a citizen of Belgium.

(You said) in the future you will work with refugees. What do you mean? Why? It is very good for your heart. You help some people who have lost there dreams, there country, their memories of Syria and other countries. People like us, we are similar. How can you help them? With everything. With human organization - and also: I take the voice of refugees and tell it to the normal people, because the media, all the media, she says something bad (about) the refugees sometimes. Because some refugees are pad people, some, I know, but most of them: normal people, doctor, medicals, engineers, I am a civil engineer. (…)

You carry something out of your Syrian tradition: we saw you: you tell stories for children. Yeah, Hakauate. It is traditional Syrian. Did you do this in Syria too? No, it is the first time here for me! Did you as a child listen to a hakauate? I have, yes, my grandmother. (…) The hakauate is traditional Syrian in the past, 1-2 hundred years ago, older I think, before the tv, radio, internet, people - when they finished their job in the night, they come home and eat, and after this, they go outside, into the cafes together, they drink tea and the hakauate tells them stories from many years ago. About the people in power, the good people, the good things… and the story maybe sometimes goes 1 month, 2 months until it is finished. Every night they tell just a little… they make it attractive, sometimes for 4, 5 months. The people wait for it, they want more. The story is for the youth and grownups. For the kids only at home, the grandmother, the mother, the father, they tell stories for the children. Different stories. But the real stories are for the big people, like me, older than me…. You smoke Nargila and you listen, nice times! No, with internet, everything changed…

You still listened to Hakauates in Syria? No, I lived in the village, and now we are in Internet time. Youtube, film, people start to forget Hakauate. How come you still know about this tradition? Because of your grandmother? Yes my grandmother always told me a lot of stories. And I was happy. When she started, I sat down with my sisters, silent with my brothers, and we listened. And I saw this in traditional movies in Syria, they show us the Hakauate. But in Damaskus, until this moment, there are Hakauates. Cafe Naufara, in Damaskus, I went there one time, it is very famous. I didn’t go inside, I visited from Lebanon. One day you will go there again. Is this storytelling something you take with you when you go to Belgium? Look, here they came to me and asked me to be hakauate and I do this - for the children. I am not a special hakauate. We have a lot of traditions from Syria. You think it is important to show Syrian traditions to people here? Yeah! Yes, because I am Syrian; and the people they need to know about these refugees. How we live, what traditions we have, lots of things.

(...)

You know, our plan was to make a story from our journey here to Greece, to meet people like you, to find out: is there something they want to tell? Because we have a lot about, but not FROM people fleeing to Europe. We want to make visible, audible the voice of individual people! A lot of children who come are very strong children. In the house you live in we see a lot of strong children, but also strongly traumatized (…) Yes, we have a war since 6 years and these children didn’t see life. They didn’t go to school, had no normal life. Just: from this city to that city, bombs there, airplane attacks here, guns, they people being killed, photos. And to get from Syria to Turkey is very hard, all the children cried. And the boats - its very dangerous. And now in camps. They have no normal life. Maybe in the future again they will forget. I am sure, they will forget. But they will stay with this long time. You said, when you get to Belgium, you want to help. Yes, like, in the camp I was teamleader. It was a drama in northern Greece. They closed the border with Bulgaria. I was teamleader, because I speak English; I learned a little here. Food, in the line, we made a system.

How old are you? 24. I turned 24 here in Greece. This is the war. You are a grown man. 24 in Germany are children. In Syria, 18, you are a man. In Germany by law, too. It is experience. I have no choice. I drove the boat, 45 or 50 people inside, I don’t remember, first time in my life. And the waves - very high! But god helped us. They took us from the sea near Mitilini. You arrived from Turkey? Who gave you the boat? When you want to go from Turkey to Europe, you must pay and they give you a boat, 1500, sometimes 700 Euro, they make a group, they pay a new boat and they send the people. No names. Turkish people, Syrian people. People when coming from Syria, they take all their money with them? They sold everything, the house. What do you do if you don’t have money? They can’t come. I didn’t have the money, but I came driver. If I am driver, without money, free. Because of this I am here. If I didn’t go as driver, you wouldn’t see me here. So you became the driver. And all the people make you responsible for their lives? First I was afraid, very afraid. Because I didn’t know to drive a boat. And children, women, older people, with me? It is very difficult. But I cannot stay there in Turkey. And so I drive.

Can you tell us one moment of this journey? I thought we all will die. All of us. Why? Because the water started to come inside the boat, it started to cave, because it was of plastic. And the waves become dangerous. We sent the message to the Greek police. And they came by helicopter, they see us, then there comes another ship and they bring us into the normal boat. This moment is a new birthday for me in this life. From death to life. All the people cry on this moment. When we see the people and they help us up into the boat, nice people! Like angels.

You never asked yourself: why doesn’t Europe help? Why do you have to come illegally, in a plastic boat, why does it have to be so difficult? You are not angry? I was angry, but another reason. It is not my right to tell the European country: come to take me. Nobody care about my opinion. You know where the real refugees are? In Aleppo, now. They don’t have blankets, it snows. They have no heat. A lot of families, half killed by Russian airstrikes, others have no roof, no food, nothing to drink, anything. THEY need helicopters that bring them to Europe. Some people from the Assad military, they come here, they say they are refugees; but we know. I have a lot of photos. How they killed in Syria and took selfies and now they are refugees in Norway, they have a home and everything. What do you think about this? I need to… I want to catch these people. They are terrorists. They killed the people in Syria and they come here as refugees. I know. Not all people here are refugees. Some come just for the money. Some want to be in Europe, where my situation is very good, I dont like my country in the middle east, some are people from the dictator Assad. I know a story about a man, he was with Isis, then he came to Europe after and he made a lot of money.

Don’t you think there are also refugees who worked with Isis or with Assad and then they thought: they don’t want to do this any more, so they flee? You don’t think they want to change? People who come from Isis or Assad? I don’t know about them. But if you kill one man, a soul, when you steal the life from some person, you can’t change. A little bit, sometimes.

Min 51:00 MORE ABOUT HAKAUATE: We all were kids. And we need somebody to tell us stories. To make us happy. And we are older now, but the kids are like this still, they need somebody who gives them something good. Hakauate is a good idea for them. Sometimes I see them smile, it is very good for them. This is what I can do for the children. To forget their refugee-situation and the war. (…) And there is another important reason. When I speak with them, it is as if I speak with my brother, in Syria. He is 7 years old, I miss him so much. I cannot do anything for him. I didn’t hear his voice since 2 years. I didn’t talk with him. When I see the kids, all of them: like my brother. I tell the stories for my brothers and the other kids. Zehn Abedin. Zehn in Arabic language means beautiful. And he is beautiful. I will show you the photo later. Zehn. But you will have news from him? Very little. Poor news. Maybe after one month they will know: I am going to Belgium. The network was destroyed (in Syria). Why did he not come with you? Because they don’t want to be refugees. My father said: we will die in Syria, we don’t go out, where others control us - difficult. You don’t have a choice always, when you are a refugee. But he told you to go? He encouraged you to go? He told me to go to Turkey, just Turkey and stay there; when the war finishes, come back. So I went to Turkey. And the situation in Turkey is very difficult. They didn’t give you money for your work, and they have a propaganda, they don’t like you. We were 27 people and rented a house together. My house in Turkey was a bed. And the kitchen shared with all the other people. Sometimes, in another city at the border of Turkey I lived 1 month without food, water, house, nothing. I drank water from where they wash. It was Ramadan, luckily. They gave free food, a little bit. So once a day, in the night, I ate. In the night I woke up to eat again. I stayed like this 1 month. Then, in Istanbul, I stayed like this, without food, without drink, without anything ten days. At the same time I had 1500 Dollar, and the Turkish people didn’t give me this. Some Syrians helped me, they gave me food, I don’t forget them, because they helped me really. Here in Greece, inside the relocation program, they didn’t give us a place in a house; we stayed for days outside on the streets, in front of the praxis. They told us to go back to the camp, they will call us, to give us a house (assign us a place in a house). They told us: go to your family, take a shower, eat, drink, sleep and come tomorrow. And THEY went. We stayed. We slept there all night, on the road. I didn’t think this will happen to me. I am lucky, because my family is in Syria and not with me. If my family was with me, I have my brothers and my sisters, young…. I am a man, 24. and this is very hard for me. But I am fighting for my dream, for my life, my future, for everything. For my humanity. How many siblings do you have? 4 sisters and 2 brothers. My brother is 20, he is in Lebanon now. He is number 24 in Chess-playing! (the number 5 in his district.) I will play again. I taught one girl from Germany

Min 1:01:20 (….) I know white Russia. I am a topographer. So you know geography and where everything in the world? I know the maps. I start to lose, because right now: just eat-sleep-eat-sleep, and always the question: which country will accept me, when will I leave?… When I was young I read the books. And I watched National Geographics. I read stories. My hope: the first thing: to travel. Before the war in Syria, before everything, when I was young. I cannot stay in one home, in one city all my life. I want to discover everything! And to meet another religion, another country, a new people, new traditions, everything new. This is what you have now… Yeah. But as refugee. If I had a chance now, a choice, I choose my country, without war and stay in my country; I don’t like to travel anymore after what I saw. I understand. We will see. Before you told me about Belgium, that you want to see also different countries in Europe maybe….who knows. Yes, When I get a passport I will go to Finland, I have a friend there, and in Germany, Stuttgart, and I will visit my relative in Berlin, and in France.

#voices storyteller safe space

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ininnsbruck · 6 years ago

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Amman.

As I’m spending my last day in Jordan, I have so many memories I never want to lose- so I’m writing them all here. I booked this trip to visit Jude on a whim. I didn’t even know Jude that well when I did it (hence why I believed she could have had the nerve to block me before I came...) I wasn’t nervous at all until I got on the plane from CDG to AMM. Suddenly, all the fears that western media have filled me with my past 22 years came to my head. I was honestly scared. My mom didn’t help, because she too had these fears but she made them vocal to me before I left.

However, I got over all of these fears as soon as I saw Jude and her mom. They picked me up at the airport, where we happened to see a huge welcome home to a couple who came to Jordan from Palestine (something else I’ve learned so much about here.) There was music and laughter, everyone was so happy. I automatically realized: the Middle East is not as scary as western media wants you to believe it is. That night, we ate Kebab and went home and I got some rest. The way they drive here is so insane, the lines on the road as well as stop signs are merely suggestions, it’s basically a free for all. As soon as the light changes, everyone blares on the horn to go. It’s pretty cultural in itself! After we got home, I slept about 10 hours, which was good because the next days were sure to be full of exhaustion.

The first full day in Amman, we went to the Citadel which stands on top of a hill and oversees all of Amman (almost.) It was Ancient Greek, and very well preserved. Afterwards, we ate ice cream, chugged water, and went to the Roman ampetheater. Those steps were so high, we only made it to the second tier. But at the ampetheater, there was a museum of traditional clothing and mosaics which was so cool. I love the traditional clothing they have here, it’s all embroidered and people still wear it. That was the coolest part- it’s not rare like a dirndl. Afterwards, it was time to cool down. We went to a coffee shop and we met up with Jude’s friend Jad. We sat there and talked for a while, then made our way to the streets and walked around a bit. The downtown life here is so different, there are so many shops and cafes (I guess it makes sense because alcohol is banned in Islam.) After we walked around, we met up with Jude’s other friend Abood and went to another cafe and watched the soccer game (I don’t recall who.) Then, we came home and went to sleep. Long day!

The second day in Amman was very relaxed. We went to visit Jude’s aunt and her grandparents. Jude’s aunt was so funny- and she’s also a chef and so of course she had the best food. Afterwards, we went to a travel agency and booked our day at the Dead Sea. Following, we went to another cafe and watched Egypt vs. Saudi Arabia. It was an intense game, and even though Egypt lost, it was still fun. Following the game, we went to the mall and shopped around. I scored 2 scarves and only spent 5jds! We also tried this sweet corn thing, which was so different. You get it at a candy shop, and it’s sweet corn, drenched in lemon juice, with 5 different spices. Then you eat it as dessert- Jude drank the juice leftover. It was crazy, but it was so amazing so get to try the authentic stuff more than just the stuff you see online. After the mall, we went to a cafe with Jude’s friend Badhi. We came home, ordered McDonalds, packed for the Dead Sea, and went to bed.

The third day, you guessed it: the Dead Sea! We woke up and got ready and took a car to the Holiday Inn at the Dead Sea. Temperatures there were 100-108 while we were there. We went out to the pool, laid out, swam, and enjoyed the weather. We laid out from like 2-6, then we went to the sea. First we did a mud mask, which is mud pulled from the floor of the Dead Sea, so it BURNED. We washed it off almost as soon as we put it on, then made our way to the water. Since we did the mud first, the water didn’t sting as bad, but it still stung prettttyyy bad. I still got to float, which was pretty cool. I honestly thought it wouldn’t work for me, but it did. We took some pictures, then made our way up to the pool again. After about another hour, we came up and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a wing restaurant which I think made me kinda sick. We came back to the hotel, and Jude was so funny. She literally was gonna order room service after we just ate (well we did- we got cheesecake.) The rest of the night we quoted vines, it was a good time.

Day four, we woke up at 5:30 to see the sunset, which we couldn’t see from our hotel but we walked down anyways. I threw up on the way (AMAZING) then we fell back asleep (kinda) and woke up, checked out, and went to the pool. This sun did us dirty, we both got burned. For lunch we shared a salad and got so ~skinny~ After we left the Dead Sea, we drove to Mt. Nebo where I got to see what is rumored to be where Moses passed and where he received the promise to the Holy Land from God. It was an amazing sight, because you can see the edge of the Dead Sea, as well as Palestine. I prayed for my dad, which moved me to tears. But no sappy thoughts. After we were done at Mt. Nebo, we met Juliana and took a cab to Madaba, where we got a guard to open the church with the oldest Mosaic on the floor. Then, we saw Juliana’s old school and the church next to it (she attended catholic school.) We went into the ground and saw a well that was a couple thousand years old and still pulls water out of the ground. Then we climbed to the top of the tower in the church, where we saw all of Madaba from above. It was very cool! Then we ate dinner and went back to Amman. Didn’t have too much time to relax though, because next day we left for Petra and Wadi Rum!

Day five, we left for Petra at 5:30am (amazing- probs why I fell down the steps) and we got on a bus to Petra. It was about 4.5 hours, and when we got there, it was so hot. We walked down to the trail and before you know it, I fell and ripped my pants and cut up and bruised my legs. Made for an amazing rest of the day!! The walk down to Petra wasn’t bad, my makeup was still in tact and it was a bit shady. Petra was amazing, I rode a camel!!! We had lots of photo shoots. Then, on the way back, HOLY COW I DIED. It was uphill, sun full force. We ended up riding a horse the rest of the way up the hill. Jude and I died, but it was definitely worth the 8jds. The rest of the day, we went back on the bus to Wadi Rum. We arrived at camp, and automatically did a Jeep tour. It was amazing and so fun. I wish it felt a little more dangerous, but hey, it was great. Then, after we got back to camp, I took the most amazing shower of my life. It was cold water in a 90 degree bathroom. The water literally rinsed off brown, so gross. I think I will have sand in my adidas for the rest of their life cycle. After we showered, we ate dinner and spent the rest of the night playing cards. We went to stargaze on a big rock which was honestly so cool. We listened to mellow music and just had a lot of time for self reflection. It is probably one of my favorite memories of being here.. When it came time for bed, we started getting so slap happy. The tent literally had a zipper for a door, but it was so hot we left it open all night. It was the dirtiest place I’ve ever slept, but I survived! Dogs and coyotes woke me up in the morning, and I also saw baby scorpions. On that note- I was out.

Day six, we spent literally the entire day in the bus. We rode the bus to Aqaba, where we ate at a Pizza Hut for like two hours. We were laughing so much, like I cannot get over how much I laughed during that meal. A mix of us all being tired and delusional I think! We went to Chinatown after, which was cool because I got to shop some cheap stuff for couvenirs. The rest of the day, we drove back to Amman. I got to see the Red Sea, which showed the coast of Egypt and Palestine again. I swear it took 10 hours when it should’ve taken 5. By the time we all got back, every single one of us had such bad stomach problems. It was wonderful!

Day seven, we relaxed a bit and went out with Jude’s friends to a cafe. We ate waffles in the morning, which were so good but so sweet. We watched the soccer game, smoked hookah, and I got to try real Kenefe! So much better than the one I tried in Austria. It was authentic and so tasty. After, we came home and went to sleep. Still exhausted from the other travels.

Day eight, after Jude got back from work, we went to Jerash. It was so hot, but we got to see the entire place. Everything here is so well preserved and it is honestly amazing to get to experience. That was in the north, about 40 min from the Syrian border. Jude’s mom used to take Jude to Syria for lunch, which is so crazy in my opinion. It feels more than just a news story being here... We ate dinner at a nice restaurant, then drove back to Amman and went to sleep.

Day nine, the final day. We went to the coolest auto museum today— all about the cars of the royal family. Made me really miss my dad. They had so many cars, especially the ones with cool stories behind them (like the one the late King rode after he received cancer treatment.) Then, we went to this monument/ museum where the martyrs of Jordan are honored. It gave me such a sense of pride and respect for the Jordanian government and culture. They paid respect to so many people, especially those that have died recently. That was really awesome to see because so many people have died and they are all remembered and honored at that place. I cried SO much and I’m not even Arab! Then, we went home and ate an amazing dinner cooked by her mom. There was soup, rice, salad, chicken, and these really good potatoes. It was an awesome last meal. Then, the dreaded trip to the airport came. Lots of tears ran down my face, but I was ready to go home after I left Jude. Long journey ahead of me!

I am sad to leave, but trying to not think about it. I have grown to know Jude so well and I love her and her family. This trip filled me with a sort of happiness I never want to lose again. It also taught me how to see things for what they are, and not what the media wants me to think they are. Arabs are the kindest people I’ve ever met and I am so thankful to have had this experience. I have experienced luxury, the desert in the middle of nowhere, the green, the family, the culture, the language, and so much more. I would have never thought I’d love it here as much as I do, but I am so glad I decided to come here. I have earned a sister, as well as gained a new appreciation for middle eastern culture. I am so blessed. On my way back to Pittsburgh now, and it is definitely bittersweet.

(Delta up leaving my luggage in Pairs, and after a 9 hour layover it’s the last thing I wanted to deal with.) I was excited to share my souvenirs with everyone, and share my memories that will last forever.

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ariel-herman · 6 years ago

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Every few years, Israel experiences a war. My father tells me about the weeks leading up to the Six Day War. Sandbags went down in doorways and cars painted their headlights black to not be seen by bombers. Something awoke in the people. The troops would fall into hushed conversations in the preparation for their common fate. That shared fate tightened the fabric of community, creating the one thing that a peaceful life seems to lack. Mutual aid and reliance is a strangely lost phenomena in the modern world. Historically, there were many instances of whites joining natives to fight colonial forces, and far less examples of the opposite… One wonders if those closer bonds are what we crave most, and what modern living (while affording us so much more) ultimately denies us. Economists define wealth as anything that contributes to overall well-being, such as money, social capital, and assets. In this way, Israel during wartime, and Standing Rock in defiance of the Dakota Access Pipeline, were ironically wealthy.

I remember wondering if Last Child Hill was worth it. I saw us all huddled around the fires as the police came to tear us apart. The police had the menacing voice of the LRAD sound cannon atop the paramilitary police vehicle pointed at us. It could destroy hearing while non-lethally dispersing a crowd. The pre-recorded warning addressed itself to us, referring to us as “subjects”. In an era sensitive to proper pronoun usage, I wondered if I should take offense. Were we not “consumers?” In a way, it was a step up, and yet the word ‘subjects’ pushed us beneath a power that was neither king nor leader, but rather raw physical violence. I remember feeling a common fate, as Israel feels, as Palestine feels – as all subjects, too, may learn to feel.

Ideological interdependence was something I found at Standing Rock. We acted for one another – for survival. The occasion was both mystical and literal. We fought because global warming was literally going to kill us all. The oil was going to go under the river, and it would trigger a weather event the likes of which would never be seen in any ice core by any scientist, because neither would exist anymore. This was felt in our hearts. It was the breaking point – our karma for not stewarding the planet.

At Standing Rock, we fought for the rights of people we did not know. We fought because we abhorred oppression; it had happened to us and we knew how it felt. We fought for one another, which is perhaps the most difficult human need to satisfy in our modern world. Here, an elder needs help. The cook needs more hands. The gate guards need firewood. There’s someone getting out of jail in Bismarck and they need a lift home. I need help setting up my tent. Here, I have some tobacco for you…

This is an account of my experience, and a tale of warning. I will not be another white person telling an Indian what they need. I confess, I came to their reservation to help. I did not realize my need to feel seen that way was a form of violence. I was also unaware of how racist I was, until I met an evil man who happened to be native, and I refused to write about it, because it was politically incorrect to do so — and because he was once my friend.

It was a dark five months from November 2016 to March 2017. The camps rose and fell, took on water, and eventually sank from external infiltration exploiting internal weaknesses. Here is how it ended for me.

B l a c k s n a k e

In late November, a man I will call Blackjack, who invited me to contribute my writing to the Oceti Sakowin Camp Media webpage. It was operated from the community kitchen of a gymnasium in Cannonball, North Dakota, just outside of the main camps on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The team felt supported, even loved by him. Part of my agreement to work with this organization was that they seemed in service to the people. Blackjack said he was Hunkpapa Lakota, and seemed to be an honorable man.

All donations that came to Oceti Sakowin (the largest of the three camps) came through the P.O. Box in Cannonball and Oceti Sakowin Camp Media (OSCM). OSCM was a bit of a misnomer. In addition to making media, they were also responsible for logistics: getting supplies into camp, answering emails, administering media passes to outside journalists, handling PayPal donations, and coordinating between anyone who needed anything in camp. Thousands of emails were answered and hundreds of thousands of dollars (perhaps breaking seven figures) was donated to the Oceti Sakowin. We received boxes of supplies with notes of encouragement from strangers. We could feel the love in the camping supplies that showed up.

Blackjack was soft-spoken, charming yet enigmatic. He felt wise and knowledgeable. One friend later recounted how he had arrived in camp. He sat down in the IEN (Indigenous Environmental Network) tent and just smiled, saying nothing for hours, and listened to people talking. To us, he presented himself as some poor fool who had returned home to make a documentary, and instead volunteered to become the media editor and logistics coordinator of the Oceti Sakowin. We would chain smoke in the subzero temperatures and exchange gallows humor. We worked constantly to bring the story of Standing Rock to the world.

Blackjack seemed to carry a great weight on his hunched shoulders. He told us that his wife, a former model, had died of cancer. His suffering seemed endless, but gracefully held. He was a delight, and it breaks my heart to know we were the fools, and he the wiser.

We descended into winter. Prior to the New Year, Blackjack seemed to not hold any confidence in Standing Rock’s ability to succeed. He confided to me this was destined for failure. I didn’t know what to make of his pessimism. He referred to the longer struggle for indigenous rights, and shunned the camps as folly. I hoped his dark perspective was just due to being overworked.

In December of 2016, I and others were called to a private meeting on the Cannonball bleachers.

“I’ve asked you all here because you are trustworthy,” Blackjack murmured to us. “Our PayPal account has a significant sum of money in it. If the Federal Government deems us terrorists, that account might be frozen… We need to distribute the money into other accounts to protect it. This is a significantly larger risk than you are already taking – there will be zero judgement from me if you decline.”

If I took the money and returned it, and Standing Rock had been officially classified as a terrorist entity, my return of the money would be aiding and abetting an enemy of the United States. I knew the kind of prisons that were reserved for terrorists – 23 hours a day alone – for decades. (See “Communication Management Units” for more information)

I stayed after the meeting had been disbanded.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t sign up for this level of exposure. I want to help…”

“It’s perfectly fine,” he reassured me. “Some of us need to stay out of jail – to tell the story. Me? I have nothing left…”

I often felt his words were chosen to conceal rather than reveal, and I found out why.

We all worked with the confidence that the funds would go to the camps, and to the cause of indigenous well-being. When I began seeking out the financial records of groups operating at Standing Rock, Blackjack encouraged me. I was told that OSCM finances would be an open book for the movement for the world to scrutinize as they saw fit. That never came to pass.

Most water protectors on the ground were poorer folk. They’d come from poverty, and they were returning to poverty. Various organizations and individuals raised millions of dollars in small and large accounts to support the movement. On caravans to actions, specific leaders were arrested on sight, to cut off the head of the movement. Those leaders stayed in jail. As more money came in, and less leadership was left to keep the movement alive, a poisonous condition set in. The movement began to rot out from the inside. The mind of scarcity that we all possess saw cash on the table, wind in our sails, and a shot out rudder.

Blackjack told us that some funds came in earmarked for media, and since he was running the PayPal account, we accepted his word. Somewhere along the way, he brought up the idea to create a permanent media team with those funds. We all loved the idea. The battle could continue – and paid! We were a multicultural fist of media fury, and we liked telling the truth as we saw it. We were native, African-American, Scottish, French, Irish, Jewish, Anglo, even LGBTQ and mixed breeds. We were an A-team based on values – not race or tribe. We deferred to Blackjack because he was Hunkpapa Lakota in Lakota territory, and because we trusted him. So, several hundreds of thousands of dollars from donations to Oceti Sakowin went towards the purchase of camera equipment and audio gear for the team and a brand new full-size truck for Blackjack. We inherited a new snowmobile (or snow machine, for you northerners), and a large trailer we called the Pumpkin. On a drive to town, Blackjack told me we could purchase the same inventory of gear twice over with the remaining funds. The only figure he told me was, after gear purchases, some $600,000.

I rode the snowmobile to camp one afternoon from Cannonball. I was to deliver it to one of the lead coordinators in camp. I rode along the icy roads, down into Sacred Stone Camp, down to my half buried tent. After grabbing some cloths, I got onto the machine but it wouldn’t start. Dusk was settling and the air was frigid. I tugged for 10 minutes on the ripcord. In frustration, I yanked the cord and tore a tendon in my shoulder. The pain was sharp but short. My shoulder hurts to this day.

The easement had been denied by the Obama Administration, but Trump was set to enter office January 14th. The veterans had come to stand with us in early December, and then left as winter bit into the backside of camp. The town of Cannonball eventually got annoyed with us squatting in their gym and asked us to leave. We loaded everything into the Pumpkin and moved to the Prairie Knights Casino (PKC) to continue a weakening campaign. We would spend the next two months hiding from the black winds of the prairie, only visiting camp to create media. While comfortable, the team never stopped working to cover the story of camp. Sometime in the winter, a man would fall through the ice in the Cannonball River. His body lay preserved in the river as people above tried to keep warm. He was found in the spring thaw after camp was evacuated.

7 F i r e s

The winter became deadly cold. No one in camp knew the odds of winning either the spiritual struggle or the political one. At PKC, the payout odds were listed on the wall. One place was filled with soul, the other money. I was honestly happier in camp. At PKC, we ate prime rib and drank bottomless free coffee surrounded by blinking slot machines in a hotel filled with Bureau of Indian Affairs cops. We were, after all, elite.

I remember Blackjack inviting me into his room one evening. He presented me with an ounce of silver, and showed me a note – give these to 5 of your bravest warriors. It was in the mold of a buffalo nickel, with an Indian head. I had gifted him my prized leather jacket months back in the spirit of friendship. I had a lot of love for him, and I greatly appreciated his approval. In retrospect, it feels more like a form of emotional blackmail than appreciation. Back then, I did not know that money was rotting us from the inside.

Members of OSCM sat down to envision a mobile media team. It would be called 7Fires. Blackjack insisted that we put the old Oceti Sakowin Facebook page to sleep. I and the remaining members wrote the mission statement for 7Fires. During that conversation, Blackjack insisted that it be an indigenous-focused media team, against the wishes of a strong majority (whom preferred it was social and environmental justice focused). Blackjack got it his way. We had been donated a large trailer with bunks to base ourselves from. I imagined us on the border with Tohono O’odham Nation documenting the fight with the Trump Administration to build a border wall through their reservation, or in Havasu stopping uranium mining from poisoning the Grand Canyon, or covering the resistance to Nestle in the Pacific Northwest. But there was one fight in Hawaii that arrested my conviction.

I was raised on a diet of Legos, reptiles and astronomy. The indigenous struggle against the proposed telescope on Mauna Kea split my loyalty. On the one hand, indigenous people were systematically oppressed; on the other, the quest for knowledge and the expansion of the human frontier – the frontier of life itself into space – was paramount to human survival in the long term. On Hawaii, the natives were fighting a pipeline filled with knowledge because it sat on historically sacred land. “Sacred” began to sound a little bit more like the alibi the Israeli’s used to justify forceful expulsion of Arabs from Palestine. The words ‘sacred’ and ‘science’ faced off as two monoliths who fought over the real estate of the human soul, and we used those ideas to justify why some land was forsaken to bear the burden of crude oil pipelines in a time unable to live without it, or a mountain top was too sacred to tolerate the largest ground-based optical telescope ever created. One had to compromise, and to me, humanity needed better telescopes more than it needed to satisfy the impression of sacredness to a minority of people. It behooves me to take a trip to Mauna Kea to understand the situation better, but that is for another time.

We used the new gear to effectively cover the movement and keep police accountable. It was unclear if we were the owners of our material, or if 7Fires owned it. We quickly learned that Blackjack did not like any of the gear out of place. He became furious and publically eviscerated people for the misplacing small items, like batteries and lens caps. His increasingly mercurial attitude was attributed to chronic stress.

Everyone came to Blackjack for money, but he seemed to not want to “set precedents” and make people in camp entitled to that money. He was fond of one precedent – carrying a large wad of money with him wherever he went. Some disagreed with him, but he was paying our way by this point, and our meetings began to feel less like the search for truth, and more like the search for Blackjack’s wishes. He paid for our hotel, gave us some food vouchers, bought us cigarettes, and nurtured our hopes of a bright future with 7Fires, fighting to save the environment and defend the indigent and indigenous against colonialists.

With assets of approximately $300k and flush with hard cash, 7Fires has done next to nothing to support indigenous rights, water rights, or sovereignty rights. Their last Facebook post was nine months ago in November of 2017. Even now as Line 3 is opposed, 7Fires is M.I.A.

Blackjack flew me home on donated funds in winter to visit my family. While I was there, I asked him for another $1000 to help finance a pickup truck to help evacuate people from Oceti Sakowin. Blackjack was generous, and I’m not convinced harbored larcenous-intent. That money was just sitting there, and many were looking for a noble-sounding reason to use it. People constantly approached Blackjack with their needs. Sophia Wilanski and Sioux Z were both badly injured on November 20th in a faceoff with paramilitary police and private security forces. While Sophia was able to raise a half million for her mutilated arm, Sioux Z had no such luck after taking a teargas canister to the eye, detaching her retina. Sioux Z asked Blackjack for medical expenses, he suggested she take it up with the tribal government.

In a meeting at PKC, Blackjack and one person who was a paid staffer explained how the organization was going to function. In the past, we’d been a democracy. The new organization would be Blackjack as pope and us below. The meeting also focused on what to do with the surplus money. A friend of mine suggested we use the remaining money to encourage STEM subjects in high school, a suggestion I heartily endorsed, because it was a smart way to advocate for the ecological health of Indian country. Unfortunately, when the time came to make that suggestion, I was told it had been allocated to “various groups”. When I pressed the issue, Blackjack bellowed at me not to interrupt him. What had started as a democracy had become a circus. I never saw what happened to the money.

This next detail I must stress is harder for me to verify, so I will present it as simply my impression and not more. During an elevator ride, Blackjack confided with me and another OSCM member that he had indulged in his late-wife’s pain killer supply, spending a month in “pure bliss”. Myself and the other man both recounted how we had friends and family suffer with opioids, and did not share his enthusiasm. He dropped the subject and we exited the elevator. It was a very scary subject for me. Two of my dear friends growing up had lost themselves in opioids. One lost his mind and is homeless, the other fights his addiction to this day. A member of my family had a shoulder injury, and relied on percoets for years after their purpose was served. I sometimes worry about that when I try and do regular things, always having to protect my shoulder from certain movements.

Another evening, I came to Blackjack’s room very late to discuss something. His mood was elevated, which felt normal to what I’d seen – strong ups and downs. But there was something different. The man I was seeing here was not the Blackjack I recognized… In fact, he reminded me of my addicted family member, or stoned friends, when they had taken just a little too much and were hiding it badly. The vibe was, for me, unmistakable – but I fully admit, I could have been misreading the situation. For all I know, he was simply in a great mood close to midnight, glassy-eyed and grinning wide.

Perhaps the strain of the movement had tested his mettle too harshly, and he had cracked. I did not know. Still, I could feel that weird rat-paws-in-the-cream vibe on him that opioid addicts give off. I will stress that I have no proof, nor did I see any drugs taken at any time. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I had been targeted by infiltrators attempting to sew distrust in the ranks and plant negative stories at my feet. I knew I didn’t know everything. What I did not understand was unimportant, because it was all about to end for my time with 7Fires.

I arrived in Denver after Blackjack and two team members had rented a vacation rental. I went to get a drink with one of them, and then came back to the house. Gear was spread everywhere. I had hoped to see the nascence of 7Fires, with faces I recognized, but it was all in darkness. Blackjack lay in bed zonked out, barely awake. He had been admitted to the hospital days earlier by the two team members. He had become so ill that they were afraid for his life. When he got out, he implied that they should cover his $30k medical bills, as they had admitted him against his will. Furthermore, he had asked them to sign a one-year lease on a house without offering the money to them for it. This was also after he had insisted the same individual whose name would be on the lease had purchased a truck on a payment plan, rather than paid outright like his truck. When confronted about these things, along with the lack of financial transparency, he chose to decline his guarantee of open finances – because that was a “colonial” idea.

The next morning I awoke in the house with Blackjack. He tried to convince me my colleagues were irrational, or unfortunately mistaken. When I called them, they told me they were 2 states away. Over the next half year, most of the original members left the team – and the one man in control of the assets that had been donated to the water protectors to fight DAPL. His decision was obviously larcenous, but it did not occur to me because he was our friend, he was indigenous, and tribal members could not possibly rob their own people! I had never indulged the idea, because I’d come to native country full of victim identity dogma, idealism, and spiritual bullshit.

7Fires would make no official account of their finances. It never became a nonprofit. Blackjack told me he donated much of the money (the organizations and persons having asked him to never reveal their identities). He had also lost several boxes of receipts in the move.

T h e B r e a k u p

Native Americans are more suited to write about themselves topically. They are a victimized group that I do not want to disrespect by opining on their dilemmas. I met many brave, honest, and decent people of all colors at Standing Rock. I came to work alongside them. My naiveté enabled this man to siphon away perhaps a million dollars or more that could have helped any number of causes in native country. Out of a need to feel like a hero, my writing had supported a completely corrupt organization. All of that money was donated in the spirit of reconciliation and support for indigenous rights and environmental protection. It is all gone for all I know.

Blackjack and I spoke one last time before I left. I’d taken four deep cycle marine batteries from Sacred Stone Camp just hours before the BIA raided and trashed the camp. I offered to sell them to 7Fires for the Pumpkin. I told myself it was justified, since the batteries would have been seized by the BIA, 7Fires wasn’t short of money, and I was broke. We met in Denver and made the sale. I asked him if he felt I was missing anything in my comprehension of indigenous ways. He signed with a murmur and a hiss, “You, are not Lakota, so, you cannot understand, our ways.” He smiled again, and shuffled away like a hazed Richard III.

A few team members gave him the benefit of the doubt, because they wanted to keep on fighting the colonialists, or just found his behavior the lesser evil. I confronted him in an email and eventually we spoke on the phone. The cornerstone of his argument was simple – this, is a Lakota matter... People’s misperception of him were their problem. The OSCM team, which was grandly disappointed by Blackjack, had no vote. Our common opposition to the seemingly racist attitude of the pipeline developers did not matter to him. None of our sweat equity mattered to him. He was accountable only to the Lakota Nation. I found his ethnocentric attitude ironic. I pressed him about the “various groups” where the money had been donated. He told me they didn’t need to make an account of it, which I further clarified to mean that some of these organizations and individuals were not legal non-profits. I desperately wanted to be wrong. Blackjack hid behind tribalism, and did not help his tribe that I saw. His rationalizations and virtue theater were stunning. He felt like a dragon laying on a pile of bullion.

At the end of the call, Blackjack offered me a job on launch day for 7Fires. My writing was “decent” he mused (a bit too wordy – can you imagine!). I told him, if he was offering me a bribe, he should have offered the $30k yurt in the storage locker in Bismarck. He laughed… Putting aside the humor, I told him I couldn’t work for an organization that did not share my values of transparency and accountability. We have not spoken since.

He Put Silver in My Hand and Said, “Now, Get Off My Land”

Blacksnake was part of the mysticism of Standing Rock. It was said that if Blacksnake went under the river, all would be lost. Many people saw the oil pipeline as the blacksnake going under the Missouri River. I differ in that opinion.

One charismatic man from Standing Rock was recently interviewed and described the blacksnake as, “greed and violence and oppression; we have to come together to fight more than just one pipeline to defeat the black snake.” For me, greed is the operative word in this definition.

As a person whose writing had been part of what gave Blackjack legitimacy at OSCM, and as someone who helped to draft the mission statement for 7Fires, I feel responsible to fight blacksnake. Here, it manifests as a deep, selfish greed – and many generations of untold pain.

There are principles and values at stake in this situation. Loyalty and trust are among the most prized assets, especially when the police are shooting at you and calling you a terrorist. Blackjack alienated the trust of most who worked with him. He acted as the thing he claimed to be fighting – an abuser of power. Whether that was his plan or not is difficult to say. It feels like blacksnake ate someone I considered a dear friend, or that “friend” conned me and my colleagues.

He wistfully mused at the end of our call that perhaps he would abandon the project in a year if it failed, or simply move on once it was viable.

He gets bored easily, he tells me.

I realized he can only gain from 7Fires’ failure, just as he gained from the failure of Standing Rock. Suffice it to say, I took his word, and decided it was time to let Lakota deal with Lakota.

Everyone I met at Standing Rock who was true to the cause was nonviolent – they cared so deeply for this cause that they came to North Dakota to allowed themselves to get shot by police who cared for nothing except paying their mortgage and did not want to be there. I would guess that most of the violent ideas came from infiltrators trying to cast the movement as militant. The good-hearted are not always the greatest thinkers. I liked Blackjack because he was a thinker. He was the lonely kind of smart and the corrupt side of good. He confided in me that he receives small annual checks from the treasury department for having oil derricks on land he inherited. Mni Wiconi, indeed.

The success of movements like Occupy Wall Street are in their ability to popularize a simple idea, like the 99% who seem to hold far less power over their own fate than the 1%. The single greatest success of the NODAPL movement was the inception of the meme “Water is Life”. Now, we all peer skeptically at mineral extraction if it threatens access to clean water. After water, sovereignty became the greater focus. In some ways, the former became a Trojan horse for the latter.

I am critical of US state policy. I consider it a highly patriotic act to dissent when it is from moral outrage or in defense of the Constitution – which is actually a requirement for US citizenship. There are still many good people doing great work for indigenous rights. Indigenous people are a vulnerable group, and they’re rightly tired of it. We were surrounded by violent and moneyed interests, and we forgot to check the moral character of our own ranks, especially those in the upper tiers. Push for policy reform and education – not regime change. The former is possible, the latter is clearly a mouse trap.

Losing my objectivity was deeply embarrassing. There was so much more to the NODAPL movement than Blackjack. I see him as the black dot in the white half of a yin yang. While some of what remained of the Standing Rock movement escaped the subversions of the federal government and private security, I find myself less invested in the movement today. It has begun to look like a kind of jihad: or, a political movement with a spiritual mandate summarized in the slogan, ‘Defend the Sacred.’ Their political goals were decolonization of the United States, which is dumb. Unfortunately, if you can’t advocate for your policy position without an American flag on your lapel, you’ve given the government all the excuse it needs to shut you down, and when you turn around, Blackjack won’t have your back.

Confessions of a Standing Rock Do-Gooder Every few years, Israel experiences a war. My father tells me about the weeks leading up to the Six Day War.

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hatari-translations · 5 years ago

Text

RÚV interview about the flag incident - translation/commentary

So this interview is already on YouTube with English subtitles (part 1, part 2), but these subtitles are fanmade, and they’re heavily condensed and paraphrased, the English is a bit shaky, and sometimes they’re not quite accurate (there’s nothing hugely wrong, but definitely bits that are a bit off). So I’ve retranslated the whole interview as faithfully as I could here, and added some notes.

English translation

INTERVIEWER: Good evening and welcome to Kastljós. Performance art group Hatari caused a real stir at Eurovision last weekend. They got tenth place and staged a sharp protest against Israel's treatment of Palestine, and since the beginning the group has talked about a 'plan', to dismantle capitalism among other things, and to use the song contest to show solidarity with Palestinians. They have also wanted to normalize the BDSM subculture and support the struggle for LGBTQIA rights. In the past two weeks they've garnered worldwide attention, but now they're finally home. Welcome, Matthías, Einar and Klemens.

KLEMENS/EINAR: Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: How... It was a bit of a hassle getting you in for an interview today, you were a bit tired. Are you completely exhausted?

MATTHÍAS: Yeah, we thought we'd have this day off.

KLEMENS: And that the Icelandic nation might have had enough of us.

INTERVIEWER: Are you still recovering?

MATTHÍAS: Yeah.

KLEMENS: Yeah, there's been a lot of pent-up tension to recover from, for several months.

MATTHÍAS: Yeah. For the next few days we're just going to be digesting this, I think.

INTERVIEWER: I'd like to just get straight to the incident that provoked the most attention. We've all been following you throughout this process, but perhaps we haven't heard exactly how this happened, when you'd received your points from the public vote and waved the Palestinian flag. How did this come about? When did you decide to do it in this moment?

KLEMENS: Well, we always talked about how we were following a plan, and that everything was going according to plan. But really... if we're honest, we were kind of jumping off a cliff, and for most of that time we didn't know exactly where this was headed.

MATTHÍAS: We had certain ideas, saw certain possibilities, and took these banners with us to keep that possibility open. But the fact it'd happen exactly there, and exactly in that way, we couldn't really predict, because we don't know exactly when we're going to be on camera, and how, and for how long. We're kind of confined within this box.

INTERVIEWER: So you didn't have a plan for this.

MATTHÍAS/EINAR: No, but...

KLEMENS: No, well, we had a bit of a plan. And it was a hassle to get the banners - they weren't flags, they were banners, and it was a hassle to obtain them. Iceland Music News helped a lot.

MATTHÍAS: Yeah, the reporters at Iceland Music News went to Ramallah and smuggled those flags back over the border, while we were just in our Euro-bubble, I can't remember what we were doing that day.

INTERVIEWER: How were they smuggled into...?

MATTHÍAS: You kind of have to ask them about that, but they described it as a nerve-wracking experience, where they had to walk across the border in full view of soldiers, with those banners under their clothes.

KLEMENS: It was also a big hassle to obtain the banners themselves, because it was, I think, Ramadan? And no stores were open. So our Palestinian friends were very busy, calling people they knew to open - I think in the end it was a toy store that was opened for us, and got us these Palestinian banners.

INTERVIEWER: But then, when you know you're about to get your public points, and the camera is about to be on you - describe the lead-up to that. What were you thinking and how did you decide to do this?

MATTHÍAS: We'd several times had a cameraman come up to us, and that's sort of a clue that maybe soon we're going to be on camera. I had one banner on the inside of my boot, the right Hatari boot, and I was ready and had already unzipped it each time the cameraman approached. But then we saw that other participants were shown when their public points were announced, especially when there was a large gap between the jury points and the public, as it was for us. So as soon as we heard that we were getting a lot of points from the public, and a cameraman came running and even pointed at the camera - then we knew that okay, this is the moment.

KLEMENS: We were like - [wild, frantic gesturing]

MATTHÍAS: Yeah, I remember Klemens sort of nodded to me, like "It's now", and I pull my banner out of the boot, and when I relive that moment all I can think is how relieved I am that the banner was the right way up. It could easily have been upside down.

INTERVIEWER: But then you record a video of staff coming to take the banners. What actually happened there?

EINAR: Things got really unreal very quickly, as soon as we'd had those few seconds on the screen. Immediately people were booing. We were in the green room with all the other artists and delegations, and then there was a VIP section, and there were probably a lot of Israelis there. And they just immediately start booing. The mood kind of took a turn; people had been waving flags all night, and...

INTERVIEWER: You felt that people were unhappy with you.

EINAR: Um... well, really the people in the VIP section. We didn't feel that from the other participants. They were all just "Wow, they really did that." And...

KLEMENS: These were seats that people could buy, instead of being out in the crowd.

INTERVIEWER: Then, in the wake of this, this is being covered by many of the world's biggest news organizations, and we've seen on social media where you're sharing photos of the Palestinian flag, that under them you get comments where they’re just tearing into you and threatening you. How do you feel about that?

MATTHÍAS: That's nothing new, really, even if this got more attention than most other things. And we've kind of decided, or learned, from this to not put too much stock in internet comment systems.

INTERVIEWER: Well, this is a bit bigger than on the Icelandic news sites. You've just butted into one of the most heated international conflicts in modern history, and... you never know what people might do, you'd think.

MATTHÍAS: Sure, and of course we were stepping into uncertainty there at a certain point. As Einar described, the mood in the room really changed, in a palpable way, and we didn't really know... The journey from the green room - at this point we're not at all following the contest, we didn't even know the Netherlands' contestant had won until way later.

KLEMENS: Andrean, he...

MATTHÍAS: ...congratulated the Swedish contestant.

KLEMENS: On the way out.

MATTHÍAS: It was well-intentioned; he just wasn't thinking. But that was the most precarious part, the journey from the green room to our dressing room, and that... The technicians are shouting something at us, but there are also Israelis coming to cheer and support us.

EINAR: We didn't really know how much danger we were in, and that created a lot of uncertainty.

INTERVIEWER: A bit about this group. It hasn't existed very long, you start in 2015, 2016 you play your first concert, and then you decide to take part in Eurovision and have been playing a bit before that. But this ideology that you’re working with, you created a fake news website, Icelandic Music News -

KLEMENS: Iceland Music News.

INTERVIEWER: Iceland Music News, which is fake news.

MATTHÍAS: The most honest media organization in the country.

KLEMENS: In the history of Iceland.

INTERVIEWER: Then you have Svikamylla ehf., which is your holding company, and a fake sponsor, SodaDream - just to ask you yourselves, what's the message of your satire?

MATTHÍAS: I think everything you've mentioned, Iceland Music News, SodaDream and how we present ourselves in interviews, is about image, and the cultivation of an image. It's so... We live in a marketplace of personal image, with social media and so on, but then we also just revel in paradoxes, wherever they are to be found.

KLEMENS: The contradictions that we live with constantly, and are born into.

INTERVIEWER: One of those paradoxes is how, while you're out there, Iceland is going nuts for Hatari products. Hamburger buns with your logo, hotdogs, TVs, and all sorts of merchandise. Capitalism somehow took you over and swallowed you while you were out there. How do you feel about that? Is it part of the plan, or...?

[As he says this, we see examples: 40% off pizza at Domino's using the coupon code 'Hatari'; 'Hatrið mun sigra' hamburger buns; a Domino's ad saying 'Hungrið mun aldrei sigra' or 'Hunger will never prevail'; an ad for a Eurovision discount on pitas showing a gimp with the caption 'Go Iceland!'; stall selling actual branded Hatari merchandise at a mall; 'Hatrið mun sigra' written with balloons in a store window; a sign saying 'Ready for Eurovision? A bigger selection of Hatari products on the bottom floor']

MATTHÍAS: Well, what I felt - I felt a bit betrayed by Domino's Pizza, because they didn't even want to sponsor Iceland Music News, and then they use our lyrics in a commercial! Nah, not really. But obviously we're just stepping into a big commercial enterprise with Eurovision. We've been this grassroots multimedia project...

EINAR: It's weird how Hatari kind of becomes public property in the process of this.

INTERVIEWER: You go out there not just to participate in Eurovision - you go without the RÚV delegation to Hebron, and there you're talking to people and getting to know people and familiarizing yourselves with the situation there. Tell us a bit about that.

KLEMENS: We - well, our friends told us that if we wanted to see apartheid very clearly, we should go to Hebron and see the H2 area, which is in the center of the city. They went with us, and a friend of theirs lives there and showed us around what's called 'Ghost Town', which is some strategically chosen streets that have been closed off for settlers to travel between illegal settlements. There are three illegal settlements in the middle of the city, and...

MATTHÍAS: And it's all constantly monitored by soldiers, this city. The local kid who was showing us around was shocked that we were allowed in with a camera, because that never happens. And you just feel how electrified the tension is between the locals, the Palestinians who live there, on the one hand, and the soldiers and settlers on the other.

INTERVIEWER: You said before you left that you expected that going there and taking part in this would change your perspective on the situation, perhaps in a wider context. I'm not entirely clear on what context, but did this journey do that?

MATTHÍAS: Yeah...

EINAR: It's one thing to read the news and try to stay informed, and it's another thing to see the apartheid with your own eyes, talk to refugees and just hear their stories.

MATTHÍAS: In a way it confirmed - even though we see news headlines, it put them in context with the daily life there, and we heard a lot more perspectives, from both Israelis and Palestinians. It's a much more complicated reality than we perhaps believed, but the abuse of power by Israelis against the Palestinians is much clearer in our minds than ever before.

INTERVIEWER: Did you succeed in your goals with this act?

MATTHÍAS: Well... we've said that there's no one 'bomb', or whatever you call it, that justifies playing in this country, and participating in this big spectacle. But we tried to just follow our hearts and do what we could, and we hope we did that.

KLEMENS: We've received support from all over the world about what we...

INTERVIEWER: A bit about that support, since we don't have a lot of time left. You're still going, doing a small tour around Iceland. This has made you a bit of an overnight sensation, to use a cliché. Are you planning to tour abroad and become known internationally?

MATTHÍAS: We have some concerts in the pipeline, but we're starting here in Iceland.

KLEMENS: We're about to release a song with our friend and collaborator Bashar Murad. He's a Palestinian musician and we're publishing a song with him on the 23rd, on Thursday, which is our homecoming concert. Then we're going around the country - 'National Disgrace', that's our tour.

MATTHÍAS: National Disgrace, presented by Relentless Scam Inc. Tickets on tix.is. But yeah, Bashar was the main person cheering us on, informing us, putting us in contact with other Palestinian artists, so talking and collaborating with him has meant a lot for us.

INTERVIEWER: So, it's all very showy, your costumes and presentation and how you've expressed yourselves in interviews so far. Now you're here, having taken the masks off a bit. Is the performance continuing, in the form of Hatari the musical group?

MATTHÍAS: Yeah, I think right now our full-time job is shaking off the Eurovision stamp, and that's not going to be easy. And I think we're taking a break from the media after this.

INTERVIEWER: But you don't regret it?

KLEMENS/EINAR: No.

MATTHÍAS: No, I don't think so. The support and thanks we're bombarded with - you mentioned those hateful comments on social media, but they don't matter next to the messages we've received from Palestinians and others who support justice and human rights. One didn't quite realize - for us it's just a piece of cloth, and we're used to being able to wave whatever cloth we want wherever we want, but for them it was just - for many people who contacted us, talking about their friends in Betlehem or Gaza or East Jerusalem or Ramallah, wherever people were calling from - it was so important to them to tell us that everyone they knew was cheering so hard, and how deeply it touched them. One girl who contacted us said, 'I can feel now, for the first time in a long time, that I'm not alone in the world, and you gave me hope and made me proud to be Palestinian.' It had a way bigger effect on people than...

KLEMENS: ...than we could ever have imagined.

MATTHÍAS: For us it's a show of solidarity, but it's still just a cloth on TV. But that's not how a lot of other people saw it.

INTERVIEWER: We have to stop now, the producer is starting to yell at me. Time's up. Thanks a lot for coming.

Notes

This interview is from Kastljós, a show that airs after the news on RÚV and features interviews and/or in-depth coverage about things that are in the news.

When Matthías mentions the ‘bomb or whatever you call it’, he’s referencing a widely-shared opinion column from May 15th, the day after the first semifinal, titled ‘Hatari, when’s the bomb coming?’ Many Icelanders who support Palestine and were in favor of boycotting the contest were annoyed with Hatari participating, and after Hatari went on stage in the first semifinal and played their song without incident, the author of the column impatiently asked when the ‘bomb’ was coming - whatever grand gesture Hatari had planned that was supposed to justify participating. He went on to encourage Hatari to withdraw from the contest and refuse to play in the final.

My personal take on the issue has always been that boycotts are only effective on a large scale, and Hatari unfortunately just never had the power to orchestrate that when it came to Eurovision. If they had pulled out before the final, alone, while every other country went on and the contest was just business as usual, most of the viewing public would never even have noticed that Iceland wasn’t there, and it would’ve made virtually no impact on anything, whereas pulling out the banners where they did made international headlines and all in all provoked a lot of discussion about Israel and Palestine. I think Matthías and I are basically on the same wavelength, as he talks about how there wasn’t really anything they could’ve done that would’ve justified their participation, but they hope they did what they could.

I think from Hatari’s comments around the incident that it’s clear they had multiple plans going on - a plan for what they’d do if they actually won (perhaps a statement on stage in their speech), and then other plans for things they could potentially go for, depending on when they had an opportunity, including those banners, and this is what they ended up getting a good chance to do. I’m sad we didn’t get to see what they had planned for victory, and I’m curious what the other plans were - but I think this one worked out pretty well.

#hatari #interview #translation #cultural context #iceland #politics

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