Voices

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008

 

Soraida, Woman of Palestine

A film by Tahani Rached
2004, 52 minutes, Subtitled

 

 

FILM:

Meeting Soraida will overturn any preconceived notions you may have about Palestine. In her neighborhood in Ramallah, the women do not all wear veils, the men do not rattle off empty political slogans, the young people do not strap bombs to their belts, and the children play together like children everywhere. In this city under siege and a strict curfew, she fights her own battle: despite the military occupation, violence and oppression, she is determined not to lose her humanity. In chronicling daily injustices and routine indignities -- will there be enough water for the plants? Will school be open today? -- this powerful documentary paints a subtly devastating portrait of life under occupation. Soraida wonders how to reconcile the multiple facets of her identity -- as a woman, a mother and a committed Palestinian. As a patriot, she is tempted to join the struggle, while as a mother, she is responsible for her two children and must keep her distance. 

With remarkable honesty and charisma, Soraida shares small rebellions and victories – like having an indoor picnic with the children during a curfew or shaking out the mat with a sniper just outside – in every gesture she seeks to resist the occupation. And no matter how insignificant, each action becomes a source of dignity for the embattled civilians. The questions that haunt Soraida, her family and her neighbors take us to the heart of human experience: How to preserve one's humanity in the midst of oppression? How to resist being consummated by hate and anger, caught up in the cycle of victim and victimizer? How to love one's homeland without laying exclusive claim to it?   

 

PERFORMANCE / READING:

“Voices” by Naomi Shihab Nye from Red Suitcase

“Breath” by Deena K. Shihabi from The Poetry of Arab Women

 

DISCUSSION:

Ahlam Muhtaseb, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Interim Graduate Coordinator, PRSSA Academic Advisor Communication Studies, California State University, San Bernardino.