[This article is based on an interview conducted by the editorial team with Dr. Abusrour Abdelfattah. Dr. Abusrour Abdelfattah is an author, actor, and theatre director, with a PhD in Biological and Medical Engineering from France. He abandoned his career in Biology because he believed in the power of arts and culture as pure humanity where stereotypes vanish, and people are on equal grounds. Alrowwad has been able to build bridges, create exchanges and co-produce artistic works and performances with international groups, touring shows in Europe, the UK and the USA as well as Palestine.]
Alrowwad Arts and Cultural Society is a Palestinian organization that was founded in 1998 by Dr. Abusrour Abdelfattah in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem Governorate. The organization was founded on the philosophy of “Beautiful Resistance,” which uses culture, art, and education to resist injustice, oppression, and occupation.
Palestine has a long and complex history, with various empires and civilizations occupying the area over the centuries. The ongoing illegal colonial occupation has resulted in violence, human rights abuses, and widespread suffering. Despite various attempts at peace negotiations, a resolution to end the occupation remains elusive. People have been living with frequent incursions by the Israeli occupation army, surrounded by this illegal wall of expansion and annexation and continuous oppression against the population.
Children who are eight or ten years old sometimes say,
“I want to die”.
“Why do you want to die?”
“Because nobody cares. And when the Israeli soldiers come in the middle of the night or at two in the morning, there is no one here to protect.”
Alrowwad means, the pioneers and the emergence of this movement lies in being a pioneer of resistance and re-existence in one of the most conflict-prone regions of the world. It focuses on working with children and young people to inspire hope and save lives. Aida refugee camp like many other refugee camps became a site of resistance. For example, Alrowwad established the first children’s theater group in Palestine which was professionally trained in a refugee camp and toured internationally, the first sportswoman gym and the first football team of girls were formed in a refugee camp. The first outdoor film festival in Palestine after building the illegal wall of expansion and annexation at the north of Aida refugee camp in 2004, started back in 2005 by projecting films directly on the wall. People started doing things one way or another, as acts of everyday resistance. That’s where the inspiration for the name “Alrowwad” came for Dr. Abdelfatteh.
Alrowwad began with a children’s theater group that was designed to give young people the opportunity to express themselves creatively and showcase of their talents on stage. Their belief is that theater is one of the most powerful, thoughtful, and politically creative ways to express oneself and build peace within individualsto be peace-builders in their community and in the world.
Alrowwad aims to provoke change and build bridges between people and communities by breaking down stereotypes and promoting equality. This would be through several initiatives: a minibus that travels throughout the West Bank, providing access to theater, dance, music, games (play bus to make education fun). Another is through a mobile cinema which includes a screen, projector, and sound system and it aims to revive the culture of cinema in the region. This develops around the backdrop of cinemas during the first intifada after 1987. The mobile cinema initiative aims to connect communities across the West Bank on cinema and the celebration of art. Mobile Beautiful Resistance aims to serve as an act of resistance against the segregation of Palestinian communities from each other.
“When one sees a film, a theater play, a painting or a photo, listens to a piece of beautiful music, or reads a book, one likes or doesn’t like it based on how much it touches them. In those moments of creative explorations, stereotypes and ideologies disappear and we are on equal grounds as human beings, as creative persons, and as individuals to shape a better future for children and the generations to come.”
Touring internationally is also an important way to allow young people to see normal life in free countries. It is a way to see that there are a lot of things we share as human beings and these similarities should bring us closer to each other. Beautiful Resistance builds on the idea of celebrating human diversity and difference, as beautifully articulated below by Dr. Abdelfatteh –
“Differences are the most beautiful gifts that we have because they are ways to enrich us and not marginalize us or make us afraid of each other. We share and defend these values that we call justice, freedom, peace, equality, and love, whether we are Muslim or Christian or Jewish or Buddhist or Hindu, or atheist, or whatever, we have no compromises to make on these values. This is the essence of our humanity and heritage.”
The initiative aims to respond to the dominant media that has become a powerful tool for propaganda, brainwashing, and promoting sectarian agendas. While the media is being used as a tool in promoting hatred, violence, and racism, Alrowwad aims to counter that usage by promoting it to build equality, humanity, love, and justice.
While the media can be used to promote agendas, it’s important to remember that not everything is black and white. There are things that one cannot be politically correct about because you have to do what is just and what is right. When it comes to sharing on media, it is important to utilize alternative forms of media, including video and other non-linear formats. Media should be neutral, but at the same time it is important to show facts, and not just declarations that have no real basis that are presented as facts. Alrowwad media productions and actions with children, women and youth, and international tours and conferences, through creative and peaceful ways, opposing the narrative that Palestinians are born with hatred and violence. showing that Israeli occupation oppression and injustice inflame violence and not peaceful demonstrations that are always confronted with armed violence and tear gas.
It is important to highlight how transnational solidarity is important to make significant changes in international and local politics. Building networks and collectives to support each other is necessary. Those who have the financial means can support those who are less privileged in terms of equipment or expertise or responding to their priorities and needs..
Key Lessons
From Alrowwad’s journey, we learn that art is an important mode of everyday resistance that can offer healing possibilities from the trauma of war, occupation and destruction. It gives a sense of hope in most dire situations, the possibility of creation and building collective solidarity. In authoritarian state repression, the creation of modes of self-expression are powerful modes of exercising autonomy and struggle. Dr. Abdelfatteh adds, “Change is not easy and needs patience. So when we are talking about social change, change of behavior, change of politics, or change of attitude of people, it needs time, we need to be patient, we do not need to hurry”.
These movements/initiatives need support and strength from networks. Hence, the need for cross-border solidarity networks providing both ethical and financial support is very critical for the survival of such initiatives. These networks are useful in offering support when the local activists are under threat and they also help in outreach to larger audiences.
Challenges faced
- Humanitarian aid is critical during emergencies, but it should not be the only response. For long-term improvement, developmental work is needed. The donor countries must consult with Palestinians and help them create infrastructures to create jobs, maintain their dignity, and avoid transforming them into permanent beggars. The use of passive forms of charity only perpetuates poverty and humiliation.
- One of the main issues is the belief that good intentions are enough; they need to be followed by good actions. The current funding culture prioritizes humanitarian aid over developmental work. Art can help address these issues, but it is not a priority for most funding organizations. While the importance of teaching young people about AIDs prevention prevails while it is not a priority in Palestine, there are other issues that are more pressing, such as teeth caries or junk food in school canteens and garbage on the streets. It is a challenge to address problems based on what is known and what can be done rather than being solely driven by funding priorities.
- Creating social impact in Palestine is uniquely challenging. This is due to the complicity that many countries have had with those who oppressed Jews in the past and who are now the oppressors of the Palestinians in the present. As a result, it is required to have allies who truly believe in our work and values.
For countries in their own regions, the priority must be to promote peace and stability within their borders, as well as globally which involves diplomacy, conflict resolution, and addressing issues such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. In the Israeli-Palestinian case, it is crucial for both sides to work toward peace based on justice and equality. This involves addressing issues such as illegal settlements (colonies) and apartheid laws, as well as promoting a truthful and serious dialogue and understanding between both sides. An important component of social change is also inward which is to say that to build peace in a community, one needs to start by building peace within oneself.
Movements of resistance can indeed be slow and require perseverance, but they can also be powerful and transformative. Resistance is an act of everyday living. It is essential to continue fighting for justice and equality, even in the face of adversity.
Such alternate ways of resistance help to create new narratives within the dominant narratives generated by those in power. They open up new ways that highlight the experiences of marginalized communities and the systemic injustices they face. This medium can also be used to inspire collective action by creating works that speak to the shared experiences and struggles of a community. As the world continues to grapple with issues of inequality, injustice, and oppression, initiatives like Alrowwad’s “Beautiful Resistance” continue to play a critical role in shaping Sumud (Sumud means ‘steadfast perseverance’, and is a Palestinian cultural value, ideological theme and political strategy) and promoting social justice.
(Courtesy: Global Tapestry of Alternatives, “Weaving Solidarity and Hope: Stories of Regeneration and Resilience”, Volume 1, Global Tapestry of Alternatives Core Team, September 2023.
https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org.)
