David Rovics plays Beit Sahour
Today a I caught a concert for the children of Bethlehem by American folk singer David Rovics. I had never heard of David before today, and am glad to have literally stumbled onto him and his mates who happened to be visiting Beit Sahour (just next to Bethlehem) at the same time as me. 
For someone as musically ignorant as I it was refreshing to hear a folk singer (aka dude with a acoustic guitar) with a powerful voice and a powerful message. Until now my aural inspiration for social justice had been fueled by the likes of Billy Bragg, Faithless and Kev Carmody. David sang about the separation wall that is kniving through the West Bank, the war in Iraq and the Israeli invasion of Jenin.* The songs hit the spot and the kids had a great excuse to frolic around, chuck things around and generally excude some youthful energy. Speaking of which I've subsequently discovered that the locals call the children, especially the boys, intifada kids. To call them cheeky would be an understatement. I suppose when you get used to the Israeli Defence Force invading your streets all the time you don't get intimdated by grown ups anymore.
I thought it was somewhat appropriate that the concert was held in school grounds immediately infront of the imposing separation wall (pictured below) which, thankfully, was heavily graffitied.
(Even if my bones are broken I will continue to resist... Children dance to patriotic songs)
After the concert we did a brief tour of the wall immediately surrounding the area. A few very energetic Palestinian boys came with us, demonstrating their prowess and accuracy as they flung several small stones towards the empty watch tower (pictured below). 
When you see the separation wall 'in the flesh' like this you cannot mistake that it is an instrument of oppression.
* You can download David's music here. If you can afford to (which should be most everyone who reads this blog) please consider purchasing his CD instead!
posted by Iqbal Khaldun @ 9:27 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Thanks for reading. :-) Yes I think my family is pretty worried, but bless them they don't lead on. I'm not Palestinian, and I've never experience suffering of the type you see here (and so many other places). My main reason for being here is to see the place for myself. I've read so much about the social and political situation, it felt like the right time to take the next step and actually see it for real. There is so much to appreciate, despite all that I've read. So far it's kind of built on top of what I've always suspected. Only, if anything, things are far more 'concrete', black and white, than I would've expected. You must visit if you ever get a chance. I'm more than happy to give you some travel tips and put you in touch with people who will ensure you are kept from harm's way.
Most of the kids are in shock or very frustrated. They take out a lot of that frustration on one another, especially the young boys. They can be very aggressive. Like most Palestinians, there is an incredible amount of reslience and good humour. But I think it hides a great deal of sadness and helplessness. All the men smoke, and copiously. I think situations like this bring out the best and worst in people. Not rocket science stuff I suppose.
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