Faiha Abdulhadi
Posted on | November 3, 2008 |
Writer, poet, consultant, and lecturer
They lifted the curfew one day during the invasion of 2002. I went to the gym and was on the treadmill when a bullet broke a window behind me. I said to myself “I will not notice this, life has to go on.” Such actions are resistance—to continue your daily life regardless of the circumstances. Women are capable of this, they have the double burden of facing oppression for themselves and all members of the family. I think this gives them double strength.
What is the relationship between politics, daily life, poetry, and religion?
I have loved poetry since my childhood. I am a poet, writer, and consultant in literature, oral history, and politics. I am happiest when I am free to express myself, when I sit with a woman talking of our feelings, and when I can shorten the suffering of someone I love, or even a stranger. I feel happy when I accomplish something, when I complete writing a book.
Politics here consume your life from the time you open your eyes until you go to bed. It’s not only in the air, it’s on the ground.
However, I believe religion must not be connected to politics or civil society. When politics are connected to religion, it is no longer religion. We want to build a free, democratic, secular state where people have the right to their own beliefs.
How are oral history and politics connected in this region?
Politics bears on personal issues and personal issues have an impact on politics. In Ramallah, we live and breathe politics. It’s not abstract, it’s something that you practice in your daily life. Whether or not women are involved in organizations and parties, the everyday lives of all of them are shaped by the political situation.
For example, when you open your eyes you must first listen to the news, because there may be a curfew. If there is a curfew, you can’t leave your house to go shopping, to the university, or to your work or job. So, listening to the news is a necessity; you can’t afford to make the simple choice of starting the day by listening to music.
Also, women have a different perspective on politics and peace that I find interesting and devote my research to. Women believe peace means achieving human security, not just the absence of violence. They have a total view of it.
What would you say to Palestinian and Israeli politicians?
Stop meeting unless you accomplish something. Negotiate only when you can bring something from your hearts that will give hope to the people. Nothing concrete comes of these meetings, settlements continue, checkpoints increase. Prisoners are freed, but only those who would soon be released anyway.
My mother and I were imprisoned when I was 15. It was a short time, but then I was a refugee for 27 years, never allowed to come home. When you are deported from the places of your childhood, your streets, the people you love, it is hard. And you return and ask, “Where are my friends and family?”
Have you forgiven?
No. It is not a matter of forgiveness. Deep in my mind, when I close my eyes, I remember how they tortured me. I was beaten in front of my mother. I would say, “You must stop the violence, stop imprisoning children. Otherwise, how can we build peace between us?”
The Israelis have to confess the crimes they committed and make reparations. When you commit war crimes, documented and undocumented, you have to admit them.
And we Palestinians need to tell our story as a people, give a human touch to the political speeches from the leaders, reveal the ordinary people of Palestine to the world. Sometimes you can win a battle without holding a gun. Barehanded people and their stories can be more powerful than guns.
What are the different ways in which Palestinian women are resisting?
There are ways, both traditional and non-traditional. Oral history is a form of resistance; it’s a process and art through which you empower yourself and release your sense of oppression and frustration. I recorded interviews with 150 Palestinian women, from which I published two books.
It was amazing to see the transformation that the interviews brought out in the women. They didn’t speak the expected, conventional words; instead, their real selves came out in words straight from their hearts. They felt empowered, they felt that they had worth. Oral history helped give them a sense that it wasn’t just the celebrities in the media that mattered; they felt that they, as ordinary women, had visibility and value.
How do you summon the strength to do your work?
I find strength in myself and from people around me. For me, the bedrock of strength is in communication. I believe that when you communicate with someone else and share mutual interests, both sides empower and gain strength from each other.
Writer, poet, consultant, and lecturer
Abdulhadi is a research consultant on literature, gender issues, politics, and oral history. She has published eight books, including of her poetry and women’s interviews. She is chair of the Ogarit Cultural Center for Publishing and Translation, which encourages women writers. Raised in Nablus, Abdulhadi was deported to Jordan at age 15 with her mother, a women’s organizer. She was not permitted to return for 27 years.
