reclaiming the framing of our pasts

There is a point, well made, in this reaction to a film I had posted about .  About the stealing of  Books and Histories. About the interpretation of that robbery.  And about a continued control over the  Native Narrative through White, Western, Eyes and  Minds.

I see a lot of  that  in the control of the Other's  Photographic history and  narrative . The  interpretation is still largely Occidental. And the  Orientalism  still  runs strong. Even among the Orientals.  Add to that, the arrogance of the  Do Gooder  and the mix continues be quite dangerous.

. If we are ever to control  our past and counter the effect it has on our future we have to start controlling our Pasts the telling of our Stories.   Their interpretation . Their Framing.

The film itself is excellent and I have a lot of good things to say about it.   But I was bothered by a certain element, at the very end, which was repeated by the Director, Benny Brunner, who was at the showing to answer questions.  So I raised my hand and asked a question about it.  Mr Brunner became very defensive.

His reaction made me think and re-think on a topic that already preoccupies me on a near daily basis – namely, the Palestinian narrative: who tells it, in what context is it told, how is it told, and, ultimately, who owns it.    The importance of such a discussion regarding a people’s narrative should not be underestimated, particularly in instances of oppression and ethnic cleansing.

This is an important lesson for us.  Just because and Israeli makes a film and admits that Israel murdered, dispossessed, robbed, disinherited, marginalized, and terrorized Palestinians, it doesn’t mean they really understand.   It doesn’t mean that they have a right to our story.  Most of all, it doesn’t give them a right to express their endless subtext of ineffectual Palestinian efforts.   We know our weaknesses and we know our (official) leaders have fallen short of leadership.  Given the magnitude of his societies crimes against the indigenous population and the fact that Israeli society keeps electing one war criminal after another to lead them, perhaps Brunner should focus his criticism at his own and just stick to that.

I recounted this story recently to a friend who is African American.  He laughed, cut me off, and said, “Susie, you don’t need to explain it to me.  I’m a black man.  You know how many do-gooder white people have tried to lecture me on everything wrong in the Black community and what we need to do to fix it?”

The fact is that Mr Brunner’s film is wonderful and he’s being compensated for it, with whatever funds, fame or recognition the film brings.  And while there is nothing wrong with an Israeli contributing to our narrative, it is not okay for him or her to try to frame that narrative or the discussion of our narrative.  When an Israeli filmmaker cannot understand why an occupied, imprisoned, oppressed society might not want to normalize relationships with members of the occupier’s society, that filmmaker does not have the right to condescend and criticize.  That is something that must be earned by Israelis, and there are certainly some who have.  They are those who have truly joined Palestinian society in one way or another.  People like Neta Golan and Amira Haas come to mind.

The fact is also this:  For societies that have been stripped of everything tangible and intangible, so little remains.   Some of us still have a little property left.  Some still have the privilege to wake up and see the land our forefathers and foremothers roamed (and the price of that privilege is living under the hell of occupation).  But the one thing we all still have is our narrative.  Our collective story.  Our societal truth that’s made up of millions of individual histories.  We should all guard, protect, and propagate that.  It’s ours.  We are the natural descendants of every tribe that ruled or submitted in that land, every conqueror who passed through and raped our mothers, every battle, every harvest, every wedding.  We didn’t step off European boats and proceed to kill, terrorize, or steal everything in sight.  I’d like every liberal Zionist or Israeli leftist to remember that before he or she presumes to adopt a paternal tone that criticizes or tries to shape the Palestinian narrative or Palestinian struggle.

http://palestinechronicle.com/robbery-of-books-and-ownership-of-narrative/