Disclaimer: Some sources have asked that their names not be used in this article because they fear retaliation and desire privacy. They will therefore be referred to using other identifying information, such as their year and program.
In her poem, “I am Palestinian,” a third-year Carleton University neuroscience student recounts her Palestinian identity and her connection to the land.
She shares her grandparents’ stories as refugees and what she’s missed out on by living outside of Palestine: from orange trees to olive trees, to becoming fluent in Arabic.
What remains is a silver Palestinian coin she wears around her neck. It’s dated 1934, predating the 1948 establishment of the Israeli state. Her grandfather, a Palestinian refugee, gifted her the coin.
She told the Charlatan she always wears the coin around her neck “to kind of contradict [Israel] and show there is something called Palestine and we do exist. And also to carry around my grandfather with me.”
The third-year neuroscience student, who is a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Carleton, helped organize the March 22 event, Verses vs. Apartheid. This poetry night brought dozens of people to Rooster’s Coffeehouse to share poems and other artworks about Palestinian resistance.
Verses vs. Apartheid was part of the annual Israel Apartheid Week from March 18 to 28.
One of the event organizers said the purpose of the Carleton Israel Apartheid Week events was to educate students about why terms like “apartheid” and “genocide” are used to describe events in Israel and Palestine.
According to Amnesty International, the Israeli government has enacted apartheid through “measures of fragmentation, segregation, discrimination and deprivation, currently in place against the Palestinian population.”
A third-year public policy student who helped organize the poetry event, said art is an important part of Palestinian resistance.
“Palestinians see art as a form of resistance, just like living and giving birth is also a form of resistance for Palestinians. So, we intend on showcasing this will from Palestinians to resist their occupier through their art,” he said.
Karim Nassar, who heard about Verses vs. Apartheid through the SJP Carleton Instagram page, recited an excerpt of a poem by Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim at the event.
Nassar read the poem in Arabic and English. He said he is on a lifelong journey to learn Arabic, as his parents are refugees from Lebanon and he has never had the chance to become fluent.
“Arabic is a language of poetry; it’s a rich language. There’s a certain richness to Arabic that cannot be perfectly translated to English,” he said.
An excerpt of al-Qasim’s poem reads:
“Maybe you’ll burn my poetry and my books,
And maybe even feed my flesh to the dogs,
Maybe a nightmare of terror remains on our village,
Oh, enemy of the Sun, I will not compromise,
And until the last pulse in my veins, I will resist.”
A second-year human rights and social justice student recited four poems at the event.
One of the poems was “Shades of Anger” by Palestinian poet and activist Rafeef Ziadah. As the student read the poem, her anger and sadness vibrated through the room. The poem sparked snaps, applause and tears from the audience.
Attendees offered particularly strong responses to the end of the poem:
“I am an Arab woman of colour and we come in all shades of anger.
So let me just tell you this womb inside me
will only bring you your next rebel
She will have a rock in one hand and a Palestinian flag in the other
I am an Arab woman of colour
Beware! Beware my anger…”
In an interview with the Charlatan, the human rights student said Palestinian poetry is “literally resisting against the oppressors with words.”
“You’re not fighting anyone, you’re not cussing at anyone, you’re just taking what’s in your heart and pouring it out.”
Future SJP Carleton events can be found on Instagram.
Featured image by Grace Huntley/the Charlatan.
