Introduction: The Cultural Significance of Palestinian Music
There is no size fits all when it comes to the shape of resistance or the national and cultural image of a country. In this article, we are talking about Palestine. For many years, the Palestinian people had their own culture and folklore. Music has always been present, and not only that, but it was and still is used to unite and shape the awareness of the Palestinian youth.
Origins of Resistance: Encrypted Palestinian Songs
Songs usually talk about home, culture, resistance, love, and debate. This article mostly focuses on how the Palestinian songs discussed home and its role in the resistance. During the British colonization of Palestine, Palestinians had to find a way in which they could communicate without being exposed, especially when communicating with their loved ones in prison. The conversations had to be encrypted and revolved around telling the prisoners about the latest news in town, informing them about the Zionist attacks, and reporting news of the resistance movement.” During that period, Palestinians were actively resisting British colonization and the Zionist attacks on their villages.
From there emerged what is called “Encrypted Palestinian Songs“. To make the songs hard for the occupier to understand, Palestinians used to add more sounds to the original Arabic words to create a new version, which the British colonization could not understand. This technique was effective and served the Palestinian cause, it is still sung to this day and has become a crucial part of Palestinian culture and history.
The First Intifada: Songs of Popular Resistance
The legacy of Palestinian songs didn’t stop there but was a valid part of the first and second anthem of the Intifada – uprising.– but this time they didn’t need to encrypt the songs and were written in their original form. The songs in the first Intifada in 1987 focused mainly on popular resistance and peaceful protests against the Israeli occupation. The main topics songs in the first Intifada discussed were steadfastness, national unity, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
The Second Intifada: Evolving Themes and Styles
During the second Intifada in 2000, there was a slight shift in the songs. For example, the second Intifada witnessed an escalation in violence, and it was more about direct armed confrontations between the two sides rather than peaceful protests. Another difference is that the songs were about violent confrontations, martyrdom, and revenge, besides that the second Intifada songs saw an increase in using modern rhythms and electronic sound effects, while the songs from the first Intifada were a lot simpler.
Continued Legacy: Music as a Tool for Unity and Remembrance
On three occasions across the Palestinian timeline, we saw how songs were a valid tool to unify and spread the messages between themselves. Most of the old songs are still played up to this date and have a special memory and reminder for the Palestinian people.
This Article Is Written By Sadeel A Sayyed.
