Remi Kanazi brings poems, Palestinian solidarity to the UW

posted on: Mar 4, 2016

Yemas Ly 

Daily UW

Internationally renowned Palestinian-American author Remi Kanazi shared his raw, satirical poems from his captivating book “Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine” on Wednesday in Bagley Hall.

“‘Nakba’ roughly translates to ‘catastrophe,’ and we shouldn’t put nakbas, or ethnic cleansing, in a time capsule,” the poet told the audience. “Because not only did it happen in 1948, it’s still happening today.” 

Kanazi uses poetry to grab the public’s attention regarding devastating conflicts in Israel today. Each poem is embedded with deep symbolism and critique of the capitalist institutions that are ubiquitous in modern society and encourage the ongoing oppression of Palestinians in Israel. 

“It’s important to educate,” Kanazi said before reciting one of his poems. “It’s important to advocate. It’s important to take action.” 

“These are not imagined scenarios / our tuition dollars are profiting off of death / divestment is the next step,” Kanazi’s poem, “This Divestment Bill Hurts My Feelings,” states. 

The event was made possible by the Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER UW), the UW Academic Workers for a Democratic University, and the Seattle

International Socialist Organization.

The SUPER UW was established in 2012 under the influence of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which is a global effort aiming to put both economic and political pressure on Israel to end Israel’s occupation and colonization of Palestinian land, to grant full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees. 

“I am against all forms of oppression,” said Brianna Birkel, an officer of SUPER UW. “Being involved in SUPER UW in particular gives me the opportunity to connect with my heritage and my identity. It has helped me truly realize what it means to be Palestinian.”

Kanazi contrasts the war-stricken world in which Palestinians reside and the contemporary peaceful world with which Americans are familiar, to viscerally provoke the audience into activism with drastic civil disparities.

“I think it was very insightful,” audience member Yasmine Arbob said. “I thought I knew a lot about Palestine, but his poems have really opened my mind to what is really happening and how we can help solve these issues.”

Source: www.dailyuw.com