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DANIEL ORTNER: The refugee and the other
by Daniel Ortner
Columnists | 4/15/08
Posted online at 2:25 AM EST on 4/15/08
/ Last updated at 11:46 PM EST on 4/15/08
Last Sunday, the often elusive Palestinian narrative emerged as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. The festival featured the world premiere of Mohammad Kundos' '10 documentary about Brandeis' Palestinian students, Before Sunrise, which was preceded by the first full performance of the Arabic and jazz fusion band Mochila. This was followed by the first performance of Walaa Sbeit's '08 experiential theater piece presented on the balcony of the Spingold Theater, Welcome to our Refugee Camp.... All were successful in bringing to light repressed feelings of oppression and powerlessness that are part of the Palestinian identity. Unfortunately, while these expressions were stirring profound, they lacked something significant.
Inside the program for Welcome to our Refugee Camp... lies a quote from Leonard Bernstein, saying, " It's the artists of the world, the feelers and thinkers, who will ultimately save us, who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing and shout big dreams. Only the artist can turn the 'not yet' into reality." In essence, it is this element of a vision or a dream that was missing from all of the touching expressions. The works only stood to categorize what is or what appears to be rather than what could or should be. They expressed common stereotypes of the"other" present in the Palestinian narrative rather than challenging them and fighting to build a bridge towards greater understanding.
Welcome to our Refugee Camp... in particular features a stereotypically negative view of Israeli soldiers and an equally angelic and innocent portrayal of Palestinian refugees as merely victims of circumstance. Israeli soldiers are dehumanized as brutal individuals or else as spineless and unwilling to resist orders. They are quick to react violently and without sense or reason. This mirror reflection of the often negative stereotypes that strongly right-wing, pro-Zionist Israeli films or narratives give of the Palestinians was disappointing and discouraging.
Inside the program for Welcome to our Refugee Camp... lies a quote from Leonard Bernstein, saying, " It's the artists of the world, the feelers and thinkers, who will ultimately save us, who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing and shout big dreams. Only the artist can turn the 'not yet' into reality." In essence, it is this element of a vision or a dream that was missing from all of the touching expressions. The works only stood to categorize what is or what appears to be rather than what could or should be. They expressed common stereotypes of the"other" present in the Palestinian narrative rather than challenging them and fighting to build a bridge towards greater understanding.
Welcome to our Refugee Camp... in particular features a stereotypically negative view of Israeli soldiers and an equally angelic and innocent portrayal of Palestinian refugees as merely victims of circumstance. Israeli soldiers are dehumanized as brutal individuals or else as spineless and unwilling to resist orders. They are quick to react violently and without sense or reason. This mirror reflection of the often negative stereotypes that strongly right-wing, pro-Zionist Israeli films or narratives give of the Palestinians was disappointing and discouraging.
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