Hip-hop is not new to Gaza, but in recent years – since Hamas came to power – public performances have been nonexistent. Wherever it has flourished, the art form has been misunderstood and misrepresented by politicians as a negative influence, and that is true in Gaza as well.
At one of the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) workshops I took part in last week in Gaza, young rapper Mohammed Elsusi spoke of his frustration at not being able to practice his art in his own country. This is especially hard, when, as Elsusi says, his work speaks about the conditions and struggles Palestinians are living through.
Elsusi, who together with his brother Osama Elsusi, form the duo Revolution Makers, did get to stage a very rare public performance at the closing night of PalFest in Gaza City on 27 May. I captured this video of them performing “I am still fighting.” more
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