Democratic Palestine : 32 (ص 42)
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- Democratic Palestine : 32 (ص 42)
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their musical talent to the fullest. Our stage performances were
no longer limited to short artistic sketches, but told a complete
story,using the taba, a special kind of song,really a narrative
which draws its content from concrete things that people can
relate to, including expressions of the national struggle. Such
performances are not limited to mere entertainment.
‘‘Wadi Tuffah (Valley of Apples) is one such work which we
began performing. Wadi Tuffah is located near Nablus, and
many of the fierce battles took place there, from 1936 when
Palestine was still under British Mandate. This piece traces the
different stages of Palestinian history from 1917 until the time
of occupation. In addition to arranging the dances, dubka
(folkdance), and the lyrics, we began to use lighting to show
the passage from one historical period to another.
‘*The introduction of the chorus also represented a change.
Before we had used solo singers, but in the more advanced
stages of our work we introduced the element of a chorus.
“In the third stage, we began to work more independently.
Previously, we had used only the traditional lyrics and tunes.
Then our own members began composing new lyrics in the
folkloric spirit; now our musicians are composing new
melodies for these lyrics. We used to take a song from a village
and perform it exactly as it was. Now we give them a different
touch - different lyrics, music and arrangement, but all in the
essence of Palestinian folklore. We want to add our own ideas;
that is how progress takes place. We think that in the future
this will be regarded as Palestinian folklore, because we are not
adding foreign elements; it is derived from the folklore of this
country.
‘*This is the stage we are now in. Most of the songs in our new
show are words that people have not heard before and new
tunes and musical arrangements. We are introducing some new
instruments not usually used in folklore. We are also creating
new dance steps to go with the new music. It is still Palestinian,
but a new type of dance.
‘‘The people have been responding to our work very en-
thusiastically. We don’t want people to say that we are trying
to change Palestinian folklore. We think that folklore reflects
the situation people are living in. Folklore is not something
old, collecting dust, that no one sees or feels. When you give
people something born out of their situation, that’s folklore,
and eventually it will become traditional. We are attempting to
give the people what we feel as Palestinians. If we are living in
a revolutionary period, our dances must reflect this, as with the
uprising.
My dignity is dearer than my life,
Than the blood I have lost.
The voice of the intifada is louder
than the occupation...
It will not be silenced.
‘“We want to stay close to the people.We don’t want to be so
advanced that they say: It is a very good group, but we don’t
understand what they are doing. Other groups have attempted
to do the same, but failed because they modernized the folklore
40
.oo much, to the extent that no one could relate to it. It became
sort of Western, too far removed from the people. When peo-
ple come to our shows, they often come up and say: We feel
like we are the ones dancing up there, we are the ones singing
these songs; they reflect exactly what we feel. We are trying to
connect the past to the present. We don’t want people to live in
the past or the future. The past and the present should melt
together into what we are experiencing now.
‘In their attempt to liquidate the Palestinian identity, the
Zionists have put many obstacles in our way. Every group is
required to have a permit. We don’t have one. The use of na-
tional songs and patriotic lyrics is forbidden. Normally, the
script of every performance must be submitted. We don’t do
this. We are against this and they wouldn’t approve it anyway.
Many times they have forbidden us to perform in the territories
occupied in 1948. Here in the West Bank and in Gaza, they
have closed the theaters we were scheduled to perform in; they
have also raided the places we perfomed. They have arrested
Our members the night before a performance to prevent us
from appearing. At the moment, the person who writes our
songs is in prison, as is our music composer and many of our
dancers. Some were just released; others were just thrown in.
Some have been in prison since the beginning of the uprising,
but this did not start with the uprising. We have been arrested
many times in the past. Five of us were arrested upon returning
from a tour in the US, charged with membership in Firgat Al
Fanoun AI Shabiya. We have been invited to other places, but
we are not issued travel permits.
‘‘Nonetheless,we do perform in the 1948 occupied territories
quite often. We were in Nur Al Shams, Sakhnin, Akka, Haifa
and Taibeh. We even performed for Palestinian students at the
Hebrew University in Tel Aviv. The audience’s response was
incredible, as if they were thirsty for their traditions. When we
started a song, they would sing along. They have memorized
our songs. Whenever we perform in the North, for example in
Um AI Fahm, people request songs; they come on stage and
dance with us. These are clear signs that there has been a
renaissance of Palestinian culture.
«Traditional folklore constitutes one part of the civilization
of a people. One says, if you want to find the roots of a people,
look at their dances, their folklore, because every dance
represents a way of living, a way of thinking and the aspira-
tions of a people. As do all other nations, we also have our
traditions, culture and history. We are very interested in
reaching people everywhere, including the Palestinian people
in the diaspora, in communicating every aspect of our situation
and our life.»
There is no room for patience.
There is no longer room for patience here.
Either a human life or death.
Firqat Al Fanoun AI Shabiya has intensified its work during
the uprising. In 1987, they produced an underground recording
of intifada songs which describe how the suffering of the peo-
ple has been transformed into the immense power of the upri-
Democratic Palestine, March 1989 - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 32
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