“You are our voices abroad” Palestinian activist tells Arab youth at QF talk

 Activist Muna El Kurd has emphasized the importance of storytelling and “spoken heritage” in driving positive change and defending the rights of Palestinians during a talk at Qatar Foundation, which is showcasing the culture and stories of Palestine and its people during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. 

The event was held during the GOALS exhibition at Education City where storytellers are providing their perspectives on the FIFA World Cup™, football in Qatar, community, and culture, and saw El Kurd narrate her story as a prominent Palestinian activist together with her twin brother Muhammad, who have helped draw the world's attention to the illegal annexation of Palestinian homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.

"While watching FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches, I see the flag of Palestine everywhere, and this means a lot to us in Palestine, because we are deprived of raising the flag in Jerusalem or the occupied territories, and this may expose us to imprisonment or martyrdom by the occupation,” she said. “You are our voices abroad, and you give us energy to keep going.

"Do not underestimate any small initiative you offer, even if it is through the distribution of Palestinian flags or the Palestinian 'captain' sign.  We care so much about seeing this Arab and international solidarity with us. The important thing is that we continue talking about Palestine as Arab people, whether digitally or on the ground."

El Kurd explained that documenting the forced displacement of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah is “one of the most important mechanisms we use to publish our stories”, saying: “Today, people want to see what is happening so they can live our reality with us, and we were aware that this is an important issue that must be communicated to the world,

“Our fathers and grandfathers fought this struggle to talk about Palestine, and we built on that. We were aware of the importance of documentation and that we ourselves must reflect the true picture of events, rather than relying on foreign media.”

El Kurd spoke about how she studies media to equip herself with the tools that help her to convey her message, and spoke about her ambition to become a filmmaker, saying: “As Palestinians, we are always keen to continue our education despite the difficulties in reaching Palestinian universities, especially for the people of Jerusalem and the occupied interior, so that we can use what we learn to serve the Palestinian cause.

“I dream of becoming a filmmaker, and I hope, through the films that I shoot in the future, to depict the reality of what is happening in Palestine and the moments we live in for the world to see.”

Speaking about conveying the situation in Sheikh Jarrah to the Arab world by publishing the personal stories of the people of that neighborhood, she said: "I always watched what was published through the media from journalists about our situation, and I felt that the news was incomplete due to media ideologies and policies.

“As young people, we had a different narrative to deliver to the world, so we focused on the stories. And when people heard our personal stories, they began to know us more, and linked our stories to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and forced displacement. This made them feel that they are part of our life.

"The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood case has been with the occupation courts for more than 50 years, but people did not know about it until a year ago through social media and the solidarity of the Arab people with us”.

El Kurd highlighted the importance of the spoken heritage of Palestine, which is embodied in stories, novels, and poetry, and about her personal experience with her family, who instilled in her the spirit of resistance through literature.

“Poetry had a profound impact on our upbringing and helped us to connect the past with the present,” she said. “We narrate the poetry of Tamim, Ghassan Kanafani, and Mahmoud Darwish, and we sing old and modern Palestinian songs, despite everything that we are exposed to. For us, this is a form of message about Palestine that we export to the world.”

For more information about QF events and activities focused on Palestine during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, please visit www.qf.org.qa/world-cup/palestine