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CONVERGENCE-S
A Writing Through Fences Project
Free Palestine: A Convergence of Voices
FREE PALESTINE: A CONVERGENCE OF VOICES
Syria, Mahmoud Salameh, 2022
SUBMISSIONS OPEN
'We have come to realise that it is through words and writing that the Zionist movement managed to occupy Palestine well before the actual infiltration that ended in occupying the whole land of Palestine killing and displacing millions of Palestinian unarmed civilians. So, we decided to Write Back. We endeavour to use all efforts and pens and to gather all material there is that helps promote our cause to enlighten both ourselves and all the peoples of the world'. Refaat Alareer, In Gaza, My Gaza!
'These stories are acts of resistance and defiance, proclaiming the endurance of Palestinians and the continuing resilience and creativity of our culture in the face of ongoing obstacles and attempts to silence us'.
Refaat Alareer, 'Gaza Writes Back: Writing Palestine', 2014
'Read, quote, teach, share the words of living Palestinians. Withdraw from places that benefit from or take a studied and calculated indifference to our spectacular annihilation. Do what Palestinians ask you to; stop trying to be clever or develop your own opinions about something you have spent no time studying, something you have no material stake in. If you have a material stake in Palestinian freedom: by all means speak and act clearly from that, broadcast that clarity wide and loud and elaborate it deeply. Believe in the meaning of your own life without thinking you must be a genius to matter—this is an imperial lie, a patriarchal lie, a capitalist lie, an ableist lie, a white supremacist lie, and only those who wish to support those violences benefit from you believing you have no power'... 'Whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now.
- Rasha Abdulhadi in Palestinian Poets on the Role of Literature in Fighting Genocide
''Art provides a window, poetry too.'
Mahmoud Salameh, @salameh_art, artist and animator, Naarm 2023
Free Palestine: A Convergence of Voices, is an offering of solidarity with Palestinians and an acknowledgement of the vibrancy of Palestinian arts and literature. It is an offering we hope will mobilise non-Palestinians to untangle the racist colonial histories we/they have been fed and centre Palestinian voices and knowledges. It is an offering we hope will help to counter the harmful language of Australian media, and that of the ideological West, mobilised in the interests of continuing the settler colonial project.
This project/action has been developed in unceded sovereign Country of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge Elders, Traditional Custodians and peoples of the Kulin Nation, lands, sky, waters and languages, and your continuing practices of resistance. We remember that First Nations sovereignty throughout this continent has never been ceded and that we non-Indigenous peoples are responsible to attend to our roles as listening and effective allies to First Nations peoples, following protocols as we engage with story, community and Country.
We are grateful for conversations with and guidance from Mahmoud Salameh and Dr. Paula Abood while developing this project. We also thank Amy McGuire and Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, Dr. Steve Saliata and the writers of the Palestinian Youth Statement below for guidance provided through their articles, poetry and statements referred to below. Gratitude too to Dr Margaret Mayhew for editing.
***SUBMISSIONS***
We invite you to submit a poem, short prose (up to 800 words), song or artwork that builds solidarity with and uplifts the voices of Palestinians. We invite you to join us in creating a convergence of voices in support of a Free Palestine.
We are accepting submissions from now until the beginning of March. We have begun publishing contributions and will continue to as they come in.
For Palestinian contributors we respectfully invite you to submit short prose (approx 800 words), poems, songs or artwork.
For non-Palestinian contributors
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Part of why we developed this project was to encourage non-Palestinian writers, poets and artists to enter into processes of learning whilst unlearning colonial, white supremacist language and image so to counter current media representations in so-called Australia. We are doing this by offering a space for you to engage deeply with the work of Palestinian writers, poets and artists.
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It is important you read the articles below under 'Guidance' as these guide this project.
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We then invite you to submit prose (aprox. 800 words), a poem, song or artwork informed by the writer, poet, artist, artwork you have chosen to engage with.
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Please send in your work alongside the work you are engaging with and ensure you include references. We will publish both.
Include a short bio (50-100 words), social media handle (with date and time of post) or similar for the creator you are responding to as well as yourself. We use First Nations place-names, we ask you to do the same when referring to where you live and create from.
We are accepting previously published work and new work.
And we thank you for engaging with Free Palestine: A Convergence of Voices. We are excited to offer this space and hope that people will use this toward learning and unlearning, amplifying and creating toward Palestine's liberation.
Email your submission and any queries to: fenceswritingthrough@gmail.com
GUIDANCE - TO READ BEFORE SUBMITTING
We are guided by the following statements and articles. It is important that you read these as they inform this project and our action. We also suggest you read our statement at the end of this post.
Randa Abdel-Fattah, In the face of western hypocrisy, the people stand with Gaza, New Arab.
https://www.newarab.com/opinion/face-western-hypocrisy-people-
stand-gaza? fbclid=IwAR1KhHejJmCYFrOJKywg wBaxnz0vOiBBq6oxUnfi8ai8iTk2QyPipTxF8g
Steve Salaita, To the people of Gaza and all of Palestine, No flags, No slogans.
https://stevesalaita.com/to-the-people-in-gaza-and-all-of-palestine/?fbclid=IwAR1GIyMwzUL- YhdsRy64ESAmmQ67tWTtdR2IvOLz1L
Indigenous Solidarity with Palestine, The Red Nation.
Hirak Au, Youth statement, Stop Israel’s genocide, end the war on Gaza. Overland
https://overland.org.au/2023/10/youth-statement-stop-israels-genocide-end-
the-war-on-gaza/?fbclid=IwAR3sNdwAHS3AhSouBafaP289MvlftjkAoajKYLdyIyXLM40vu_
HOW WE PUBLISH
Publication is as a ‘rolling project’ which means work will be published over the months of November and December as it comes in.
We will also be publishing on our instagram writing_thru_fences
We anticipate other publications and projects will promote and republish with attributions. Please contact us if you are interested.
Please note: We are hoping to publish much of the work we receive but we do not guarantee publication of your work.
REMUNERATION
Writing Through Fences is an unfunded collaborative project. Although we usually have a strict policy of paying participants for their work through donations received from individuals or crowd funding, we are unable to offer payment to those with citizen privilege. First Nations and Palestinian contributors and those without citizen privilege will be paid $100 AUD for each new work and $50 AUD for previously published work. Please indicate when you submit your work.
a short list of Palestinian journalists, artists, poets and creatives
Some journalists/videographers in Gaza
Bisan IG – bisan_wizard1 / @Bisanouda1
Youmna ElSayed @YoumnaElSayed17
Motaz Azaiza @azaizamotaz9
Bayan @BayanPalestine
Yasser @yasser_gaza
Maha Hussaini @MahaGaza
Wael Al Dahdouh @WaelDahdouh
Hind Khoudary @Hind_Gaza
Noor Harazeen IG – noor.harazeen
Plestia @byPlestia
Ahmed from #Gaza @madhoun95
Refaat in Gaza @itranslate123
Muhammad Smiry @MuhammadSmiry
Some poets and writers
Sara M Saleh
Samah Sabawi
Randa Abdel-Fattah
Tasniim Mahmoud Sammak
Amal Naser
Lana Tatour
Susan Abulhawa
Micaela Sahhar
Hasib Hourani
Naser Mashni
Mohammed el-Kurd
Tusiata Avia
Mosab Abu Toha
Nasser Rabah
Saleem Al-Naffar
Susan Muaddi Darraj
Raja Shehadeh
Etaf Rum
Najwan Darwish
Heba Abu Nada
Suheir Hammad
Dareen Tatour
Samar Hussaini
Fady Joudah
Fadwa Tuqan
Mahmoud Darwish
Remi Kanazi
Basem Khandakji
Abdul Rahman Katanani
Susan Abulhawa
Jamal Nabulsi
Mustafa Sheta
Bilal al-Saadi
Dalia Taha
Mohaammed Mousa
Devin G. Atallah
Rafeef Ziadah
Nathalie Handal
Naomi Shihab Nye
Nidaa Khoury
Some visual artists
Mahmoud Salameh
Miream Salameh
Johny Salama
Shireen Abdul Kareem
Maryam Salah
Heba Zagout
Shareef Sarhan
Silman Mansour
Safaa Odeh
Malak Mattar
Laila Shawa
Jeanine Hourani
Safaa Odeh
Tasneem Marghani
Samar Abu Elouf
