Becoming Palestinian
Image by Dasha Chernysheva. During the last assembly of the Arts Collaboratory network, the grave situation in the Palestinian territory resulting from the violent escalation of a long-lived extermination policy, was one of the cross-cutting themes. The absence of representatives from Al Ma'mal and Riwaq - Centre for Architectural Conservation, the two organizations in the network that operate from the Palestinian territory, made it imperative to reflect on this issue. Understanding the power and responsibility that cultural work demands from us, we dedicated a session given by the Palestinian architect, artist and cultural manager, Yazan Khalili, to learn from the history that contextualizes the series of violent events that the Palestinian people face today at the hands of the state of Israel and to understand the different positions and edges of the mass large-scale aggression. Left on the table from this session were powerful concepts such as understanding the sharing of knowledge as an action of solidarity; but above all the responsibility we have to speak, to make known the stories of what happens in Palestinian territory and make visible the series of injustices that happen with the encouragement and culpability of the world powers, to the detriment of human rights and therefore of life on this planet. In an attempt to answer what more we can do from our own practices, contexts and networks, the initiative to create this special edition of More of Us arose to explicitly express our solidarity with Palestine. With the conviction that solidarity arises from everyday practice, from what we sometimes think of as small, overcoming not always knowing what can be done and even the fear of doing or saying something, we hold on to the power of symbolic acts, of the force that is ignited when we read each other, listen to each other and generate conversations and share knowledge. In the words of Yazan Khalili, "to become Palestinian" is to become human beings and for this it is necessary to activate processes that allow us to know, to understand, to act and to take a position.
In 2018, when the Arts Collaboratory Ecosystem held its general assembly in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, a group of us from the network were guided by the generosity of our Palestinian family. During a series of tours and encounters, we heard their stories, memories and experiences. One of the activities carried out, a walk through Jerusalem, still resonates with me years later for its ability and sensitivity to show the diverse narratives that coexist in that small territory.
by: Sari Dennise
These pro-Palestinian illustrations curated by Mr Makonga were created by South African artists as part of the country’s ongoing protests to ‘hold Israel accountable‘. The artists have lent their skills and voices towards the message of solidarity, which in turn has helped push the South African public’s firm stance against the atrocities witnessed in the … South Africa to Palestine
Gudskul Ekosistem houses a multitude of practitioners and collectives with differing practices and artistic mediums. Marishka Soekarna @drawmama, Wiratama @wirtams, and Sumantri Gelar @smtglr working through comical visual elements and playful aesthetics, employ satire to critique the political and social dynamics at play in the Palestinian context, and calling for an end to the violence … Contributions from Gudskul Ekosistem
Paula Piedra in conversation with Zuhra Sasa Illustrations by Viviana Zúñiga Ramírez, Translation revised by M. Paola Malavasi L. At 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 4, 2023, Zuhra opened the door to her apartment in Los Yoses, San José (Costa Rica). While she finished talking to a student via video call, Jengibre and Cúrcuma, a … Za’atar and oil
by: Paula Piedra
While all this is going on
I am sure that
we will be able
to be more human
Notes on a trip from June 19 to July 3, 2018 to Jerusalem, Palestine (West Bank) and Amman, Jordan, narrating a series of experiences across borders −whether geopolitical, mental, emotional, individual, collective, religious, artistic, or relating to language and identity.
by: Paula Piedra
Words to Stop a Genocide Thandi Gamedze I wish poetry could end the pain I’m trying to come up with the exact configuration of words able to terminate a genocide Like in the movies when everything hangs on figuring out the correct combination to open up the safe I am listening intently for the clicks … African Artists Against Apartheid. Poems and Other Works
Image: Crater Invertido Arts Collaboratory is an ecosystem of diverse cultural spaces and arts practitioners, anchored in different territories around the world, including Palestine. We the undersigned, include some of the members from the Arts Collaboratory network and ecosystem, and friends of the network. We share the struggle, in solidarity and with empathy, for a … ⭕ We do not remain silent about genocide: 🇵🇸 Open letter from Arts Collaboratory ecosystem in Support of Palestinians
When construction of the Juraguá Nuclear Power Plant (Cienfuegos, Cuba) was halted in 1992, an entire marine and terrestrial ecosystem of human, animal, and plant life began to populate the area. Today, more than three decades later, the island’s government has announced that it intends to install a toxic waste confinement system that threatens the way of life of a community that has grown among its ruins.
Between More of Us / Blog
In the context of the forthcoming Rebellion issue, we are launching an open call to participate with visual and written content related to the issue’s concerns. More of Us will address the relationships woven by a variety of initiatives around self-organisation, collective action, social movements, activism and land struggles in the Global South from a practical approach.
Beyond monocultures disguised as traditional forms of agriculture by the industrial imaginary, there are spatial modes of production that have been practiced for centuries in forests, wetlands and plains that refuse to assume the erosion of exploitation and reproduce life together with earth others.
How can we return to a model where growth, acceleration or innovations occur as reactions to changes in the environment rather than imperatives?
Our sensibility is grounded in fossil fuels, high energy demand and the fantasy of permanent growth. If we are to halt the advance of the extractive frontier, we may need to re-educate our aesthetic sense.
How do you convince someone of an idea, how do you tell the world what it should pay attention to? Sometimes words are not enough, sometimes speeches are transient, that is, they have an impact for a moment and then disappear, even those that are apocalyptic do not seem to achieve the desired effect: that of generating fear so that people act on it.
Concerns about the migration of animals, plants, fungi, viruses and bacteria have followed paths of colonial control parallel to those built around the transit of people from the south to the North-West. It has little to do with caring for the endemic populations of a territory and much to do with controlling the economic interests of certain groups in power.
In 2022 alone, more than 150 000 migrants have been forced to cross the Darien Gap on the Panama-Colombia border. Their passage has left a trail of suffering, but also tons of rubbish in the jungle.
What role do local authorities play in caring for forests and promoting sustainable activities for the reproduction of life?
How to write a manifesto about something we can barely see nowadays in the midst of so many suspended particles?
Increasing climate disasters in the global south bring the threat of widespread epidemics and the claim for restorative justice