Democratic Palestine : 32 (ص 41)
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- Democratic Palestine : 32 (ص 41)
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The Uprising and Folklore
Visiting Firqat Al Fanoun Al Shabiya
In October 1988, a group of solidarity activists visited the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In February 1989,
they published a book based on their experiences, entitled «No Way Back! Everyday Life in the Palesti-
nian Popular Uprising - A Collection of Short Stories (in German). The article below is an excerpt from
one of these stories which tells of their discussion with Firgat Al Fanoun Al Shabiya (Popular Arts
Ensemble), and of their attending an intifada folklore evening in AJ Hakawati theater in Jerusalem.
Two hands rapidly beat a drum. The rhythm steadies and the
sweet sound of a flute mingles with laughter. Hands clap to the
beat. Runing shoes and boots join in, stamping in time. The
room shakes as they leave the floor and land again. Melting
together, steps glide in unison through the room.
Suddenly something slams into the roof with a loud bang-
once, then again. Shots? Settlers or soldiers? A shiver runs
down my spine. Is Al Hakawati being raided again? The music
is silenced and within a second, the dancers and musicians are
on their way outside, fists clenched, their running shoes
skimming the floor. One moment caught up in the joyous fever
of the dance and the next motionless, then they tense up, off to
fight. Moving slowly, I just make it to the door as they return
laughing and shaking their heads in amusement.
«Shebab,» they explain. «They’re throwing stones with our
roof as a target. They say they’re practicing for the intifada
-six or seven year olds!»
Bewildered I return to my seat. How quickly people react to
the unexpected here! How fast a situation can change! The
dancers are back in line, fingers close around the flute, the
drummer is sitting with hands poised. This is all part of the
struggle. From the first drum beat on, the struggle never stops.
It just changes form.
Dance rehearsals are two hours, twice a week. The musicians
hold additional sessions to concentrate on the finer points of
every song. Rehearsals are usually at 4 p.m. so that the
members can come right after work. Occasionally they are
cancelled, like last Friday, when the group participated in the
National Volunteer Program for the olive harvest.
Stay here my friend and hear the melody,
so that all nations will hear the melody of our songs...
A strong voice begins an intifada song.
We tell the story of a people,
a people fighting against all enemies...
Firgat Al Fanoun AI Shabiya was formed on March 9, 1979.
Having started with eight members, they are now fifty musi-
cians and dancers. After a rehearsal, we spoke with some of the
group’s founding members about their goals and hopes, and
about the culture of the Palestinian resistance:
Democratic Palestine, March 1989
‘The Zionist assault on the Palestinian people is not only a
political-economic one; it is also directed at our culture. We
consider the arts a part of our struggle. The occupation is at-
tempting to rob us of our culture, traditions, costumes and
folklore. The Zionists lack a unified folklore, because they
come from different parts of the world, from different cultures
and backgrounds. Therefore, part of their strategy is destroy-
ing our folkloric heritage.
Intruders have come to our land
and planted themselves on its soil.
They have driven our children away
and massacred our elders.
Destroying the roots of our trees
and burning the branches.
They have not left one flower
blooming in our homeland.
‘‘The necessity of preserving our culture and folklore led to
the idea of forming a dance group. Many of us danced as a
hobby, and we wanted to come together and work collectively
in order to be more productive. Moreover, cultural activities
open up new doors enabling us to reach out to the people.
Speaking to them in a language they understand is extremely
important, as is relating to their everyday life and the suffering
they experience, as an expressional medium.
‘‘Our work developed in different stages.In the beginning we
would go to the villages and regions where these songs and
dances originiated. We watched how the people danced, learn-
ed the lyrics and the steps, and then performed them on stage.
“‘This beginning stage concluded in 1981,and was followed
oy a more advanced level of work. The membership increased
as did the qualitative participation of female members.Before
we had to go to the girls’ families and convince them to let their
daughters dance. This is no longer necessary, and their par-
ticipation has led to the development of a more overall picture
of folklore. During this stage, we also introduced new in-
struments, including the oud. Previously we had worked
basically with drums and the flute. At the same time, our style
developed, as did our lyrics; also the people underwent a
transformation. They were no longer people who simply had a
knack for it, but people who devoted themselves to developing >
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- Democratic Palestine : 32
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