A culture under fire
(The Guardian, October 2, 2002)
Palestinian artists have suffered more than physical hardship - they have also had to deal with censorship, harassment, and the destruction of their work. . . . "It was very exciting, but the Israelis soon became aware of the importance of these exhibitions and started hitting the League of Palestinian Artists. They made us get permits to show our work, censoring art and invading artists' studios. Several of us were imprisoned, usually on charges that they were painting in the colours of the Palestinian flag. They would say, 'You can paint, but don't use red, white or black,' and they would imprison you if you used those colours. You couldn't paint a poppy, for example, or a watermelon: they were the wrong colours. Often it was up to the artistic judgment of the particular officer in charge." . . . "When they broke in here at Easter, they knew the place was a cultural centre, but they still smashed it up. They broke open the door with explosives, destroyed all our computers, took all the hard disks. When the curfew was lifted, I came back to find papers all over the floor. They had upended all our filing cabinets and wandered back and forward over our latest proofs. There were the marks of jackboots all over our poetry." . . . "For us the tunnel is so dark that you cannot even see the light at the end. In a different situation I would like to give up my poetry about Palestine. I can't keep writing about loss and occupation for ever. I feel it deprives me of my freedom as a poet. Am I obliged to express my love for my country every day? You have to live for love, for freedom. The subject of occupation itself becomes a burden. I want, both as a poet and as a human being, to free myself from Palestine. But I can't. When my country is liberated, so shall I be.
posted by Lorenzo 4:36 PM
