 |
| Shakira rehearsing for the El Dorado World Tour |
Grammy Award winning pop sensation Shakira is being urged by the
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) to
cancel her show scheduled for July 9 in Israel. Dozens of Palestinian cultural
organizations and local administrators stand by PACBI in urging Shakira to
cancel her Israeli performance. On the 24th of May, the Palestinian Campaign
for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) released a letter to
that effect. It read:
Occupied Palestine, 24 May 2018
Dear Shakira,
We, Palestinian cultural institutions operating in the occupied
Palestinian territory and in exile and Palestinian municipalities, appeal to
you to cancel your performance in Tel Aviv, scheduled for
9 July, 2018. Performing in an apartheid state, whether South Africa in the
past or Israel today, in defiance of the voices of the oppressed always
undermines the popular struggle of the oppressed to end oppression. Doing so on
the heels of a full-fledged Israeli massacre against our people in Gaza is a
morally reprehensible whitewash of the crime.
In its attempt to suppress overwhelmingly peaceful mass
demonstrations by tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, striving for
freedom and their UN-stipulated rights, Israel has implemented what Amnesty
International describes as a shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy. As a
result, more than 100 Palestinian civilians have been killed since March 30th
and more than 10,000 injured, many by live ammunition. The UN has called for an independent
investigation into Israel’s “unlawful, calculated killings” in Gaza.
As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, does it concern you
that at least 12 Palestinian children have been slaughtered by
Israel’s military in these peaceful demonstrations, including the 8-month-old Laila Ghandour, who was asphyxiated
by Israeli tear gas dropped on her family more than 1 kilometer away from the
fence?
Will you have any pangs of conscience if you perform in Tel Aviv while
some 60 kilometers away 2 million Palestinians are caged
by Israel in Gaza which, the UN says, could become uninhabitable by 2020, mainly due to
Israel’s ongoing illegal blockade?
Does it bother you that a recent World Health Organisation report found
that 54 Palestinians died in 2017, mostly cancer patients, while waiting for
Israeli permits to leave Gaza for medical treatment?
In 2010, opposing a performance by a South African group in Tel Aviv,
anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated: “Just as we said during apartheid that
it was inappropriate for international artists to perform in South Africa in a
society founded on discriminatory laws and racial exclusivity, so it would be
wrong for Cape Town Opera to perform in Israel.”
Major performances by international artists like you are regularly and openly endorsed by the Israeli government, which
uses them to art-wash Israel’s decades-old oppression of Palestinians.
While Israeli leaders will welcome your show, it will contribute to covering
up Israel’s brutal and systematic attacks on Palestinian culture.
Israel has shuttered Palestinian cinemas and theatres, banned cultural events,
denied Palestinian artists travel permits, and detained others without charge.
Israeli soldiers have repeatedly forced
young musicians to “perform” at military checkpoints that dot the
occupied West Bank denying Palestinians their right to freedom of movement.
Can you really sing “Hips don’t lie” when Israel is lying in front of
the world about its war crimes?
We appeal to you to do no harm to our human rights and our struggle to
achieve them. We call on you
to join the world-renowned artists who have refused to
lend their names to art-washing Israel’s regime of oppression including
Lorde, Lauryn Hill, Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, the late Gil Scott-Heron,
Faithless, Roger Waters, Bjork, Zakir Hussain, Jean-Luc Godard and Snoop Dogg.
A few kilometers from
the Park Yarkon where you are scheduled to perform, thousands of Palestinian
prisoners are held in Israeli jails. One of them is a brave young girl named Ahed
Al-Tamimi (17-year-old) who danced to the tune of your hit song
“la la la” with her two relatives and dreamt of growing up to become a football
player. Our children, like all other children, deserve freedom, justice and
equality. We ask you not to “la la la” to the system of injustice that is
denying them their human rights and very dreams.
· The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities
(APLA), representing over 400 Palestinian municipalities and local councils in
the occupied Palestinian territory
·
Ramallah Municipality
·
Palestinian Performing Arts Network (PPAN)
·
The Freedom Theatre
·
El-Funoun Dance Troupe
·
Ashtar Theatre
·
Yes Theatre
·
Qafilah Movingstage Theatre
·
Popular Art Centre
·
Sareyyet Ramallah
·
Al Kamandjati Association
·
The Palestinian Institute for Cultural
Development-Nawa
·
Naqsh Popular Art Center
·
The Palestinian National Theatre – Al Hakawati
·
Ibdaa Cultural Center
·
Theatre Day Productions
·
Palestinian Circus School
·
Nawa for Culture and Arts Association
·
Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society
·
Al-Harah Theater
·
Baladi Centre for culture and Arts
·
Oushaq Art Centre
·
Al-Anqaa Palestinian Dance Troupe, Gaza
·
Culture and Free Thought Association, Gaza
·
Al-Awda Centre, Tulkarem refugee camp
·
Khotwa Association for Community development
·
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre
·
Asayel Dance Troupe
·
Shafaq -Jerusalem Art network
·
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art
·
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music
·
Palestinian Art Court-Al Hoash
·
Palestinian National Theatre
·
Yabous Cultural Center
·
Al Hannouneh Society for Popular Culture, Jordan
·
Al Quds Group for Palestinian Folklore, Jordan
·
Muhtaref Al Qindil Al Saghir, Ain al-Hilweh Refugee
Camp, Lebanon
·
Jafra Dance Troupe, Palestinian Cultural Center, Lebanon
Comments
Post a Comment