To exist is to resist
Filmmaker Iain Henderson looks back on a trip to Occupied Palestine and his ongoing collaboration with Palestinian poet and feminist Alice S. Yousef
words & video – iain henderson
artworks – pearl kinnear and celie byrne
poetry – alice s. yousef
sound – ruaridh law
location – glasgow, uk
It was 2016, and I was a 21-year-old emerging filmmaker documenting local music and shooting music videos when I was invited to join a group of Scottish artists on a trip to Occupied Palestine.
Henry Bell, a writer and educator working with Solas Festival and Amos Trust, created an opportunity for us to visit the West Bank to learn about the Palestinian people’s struggle against occupation and apartheid, and for Scottish artists to perform live and make creative connections. Henry has coordinated various creative exchanges between Scotland and Palestine, working with people like Liz Lochhead, William Letford and the British Council.
I knew I was travelling in good company alongside musicians Louie and Declan Welsh and Livi Ogilvie, a schoolteacher and trade-unionist. Louie’s lyrics often spoke to local and world issues, providing an insightful commentary on society, culture and politics – all delivered in a relatable Glaswegian dialect. Declan Welsh is a tremendous singer songwriter, whose music also doesn’t shy away from political and social issues; again, with a particularly Glaswegian slant. The trip was set to be a transformative experience.
We posed as tourists travelling through Tel Aviv. I anxiously made my way through tight airport security with a bag full of camera equipment, unsure of what awaited me on the other side. There was a tension I’ve not felt anywhere else on my travels. Once we crossed the border, through the armed checkpoint at the menacing looking, 8m concrete wall, there was a sense of relief as we entered into the West Bank.
Over the course of our trip, Declan and Louie performed on stage at Bet Lahem Live, a music festival in the heart of Bethlehem. This festival was just like at home; the feelings of joy and unity as people danced into the night. In Ramallah, we took part in a poetry slam with local people. We explored the ancient city of Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, Hebron and Jenin. In Ni’lin, we joined one of the peaceful protests that routinely take place on a Friday, as villagers oppose land confiscation. Despite the presence of internationals, described by local protestors as a deterrent, the Israeli soldiers still inflicted crowds with tear gas. I collaborated with Declan to make his music video for the song ‘Different Strokes’ with footage captured over the course of the trip.
The destruction and devastation you see in the media today is haunting. With a fragile ceasefire now in place in Gaza after more than a year of genocide, Israel has turned its attention to the West Bank where it is carrying out deadly raids on Palestinian homes and land on a near daily basis.
These moments we captured in 2016 are ones I take pride in sharing with the world. From the steep and winding Wadi Al Nar road, expertly navigated by our friend and driver “King” Soulieman – most definitely impassable to Louie’s wee Fiat back in Scotland – to the figs we shared with a farmer in the Jordan Valley, warmed in the baking sun, to the strawberries grown in tear gas canisters and the key symbolizing the right of Palestinians to return to their homes, painted upon Israel’s towering, apartheid walls.
Resisting oppression comes in many forms.
In the Jordan Valley, we were shown a machine that turns dirt into building blocks for shelters. Palestinians use ingenuity to survive despite limitations on proper materials imposed by Israel. On the outer wall of one of these shelters was a single phrase painted on the wall: “To exist is to resist.”
Across the West Bank, we got a real sense of what it felt like to be creative and Palestinian. We experienced a fantastic rendition of a children’s tale, in Arabic, by a traditional storyteller. Shoruq rap group performed in their studio situated within Dheisheh Refugee Camp, and another group of talented young musicians played with us at a music school. From city to city, stunning architecture surrounded us.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience the real Palestine and share a glimpse of the rich culture and heritage of a beautiful people living with hopes and dreams just like you and I. Hopefully one day peace will come to the region and our diversity will become our strength. Over the horizon is a free Palestine and as citizens of the United Kingdom, instrumental in the creation of the two-state solution over 75 years ago, we must assume responsibility to make it so.
I leave you with an extract from a poem I penned from “King” Soulieman’s taxi, alongside a short extract video compilation from “Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space,” a collaborative installation from contemporary artists Pearl Kinnear and Celie Byrne, myself, Palestinian poet and feminist Alice S. Yousef and sound artist Ruaridh Law. This site specific installation has been built within the main gallery of Dunoon Burgh Hall and is running until February 15th. More information can be found here.
We pass soldiers as I speak
The driver looks out from his seat
The sands we see
A homeland that he loves
The soldier stood in the road holding a gun.
Intense presence
The likes I’ve never known
This scarier area
Now defined by a zone
This is a long road home through the concrete jungle
A feeling of loss amongst the struggle
Calm and collected
Reassured, don’t panic.
And they said I wouldn’t understand
because he speaks another language.
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