19/11/2022
Women Rappers Rock a Palestinian Refugee Camp in More Ways Than One
Because Ettijah’s music focuses on the struggle against the occupation, the group has won the approval of ordinary Palestinians.
In the documentary, Shaheen discusses this. “From the day we were born, we’ve never understood what it is to be free, because we were born under an occupation. The first thing a child who grows up in a refugee camp learns is not to be afraid,” she says.
“Without anyone having to explain it, he knows that there’s no room to fear the Israeli soldiers who can enter any house they choose, or the sounds of gunfire. That’s just a part of our lives in the camp, so it’s important to make our voices heard through our music.”
As Abu Laban sees it, Ettijah has been a huge success and symbolizes the social changes in the refugee camp. “Deheisheh is different from other refugee camps – it has a population of educated people who grew up in the late '70s, when Palestinian refugees began to realize that education is the only key to success, the only way to break out of the camp and integrate into Palestinian society,” she said.
“Even though life in the camp entails a lot of problems, like a lack of services, fragile infrastructure, water shortages and crowding, there’s an art scene. People from outside the camp come for music, art, creativity and dabke folk-dance workshops. Every year there’s a festival for films on refugee life.”
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