I can't help but wonder if Supervisor Dave Cortese or any of the other minor local dignitaries participating in this event, noticed what passed for art ?
Yes, its a child with a gun. Is that the "diversity" you value, Mr. Cortese, or was hosting this event just a shameless way to cater to the 30,000 Palestinians in Santa Clara County?
The caption reads "I shoot with complete faith and pride. I pull the trigger and aim towards the enemy without any fear".
Co-Sponsors include the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Arab American Cultural center of Silicon Valley, the Catholic Diocese of San Jose, and South Bay Jewish Voice for Peace, among others.
9 comments:
This piece is depicting what Palestinians go through on a daily basis: having a GUN pointed in their FACE by an Israeli soldier. There were many other pieces of art there as well, portraying the lives of Palestinians.
Get the facts right before you start bashing on the art. And if you think this is such a "shameless" piece of art, what do you think of all of the Israeli government officials that are MURDERS under International Law?
Does this mean that Palestinians teaching their children to murder un-armed Jews is an integral component of "Palestinian culture"? In the same manner that we acknowledge the existence of, but don't glorify and celebrate , for example "Mafia culture" or " gang culture."
My name is Haneen, and I am the artist of this piece, entitled Fearless.
This particular piece of work was just to show what Palestinians go through on a daily basis, which is exactly what the first person commented on. This is their life. This is how they live. This is what they know, how to survive in this world of killing and murder of innocent people. And by the way, it is not a child, it is an adult male I got to pose for me. Also, the caption is incorrect as well. Its supposed to read "I shoot with complete faith and pride. I pull the trigger and aim towards the enemy without any fear."
People always want to misconstrue what they see, especially if it defends the Palestinians and depicts their life and their reality as they know it. It may be harsh, it may be brutal and difficult to see, but that is the point.
Sorry, Haneen, I still think it's crap.
Revolutionary crap, crap with a "message". But still, crap.
Its a culture that raises children to hate, and glorifies violence. So a photograph that glorifies violence shows a realistic part of Palestinian culture.
More photos of Palestinian culture:
http://proisraelbaybloggers.blogspot.com/2009/11/heart-warming-photos-of-gazan-children.html
These are from the Palestinian on-line journal "Palestine today".
I had written to the Sanata Clara Board of Supervisors about this piece of "art" that glorifies violence.
I received a response today from Dave Cortese:
Thank you for writing. Some art pieces were installed at the
Palestinian Day event without first seeking the approval of the event organizing committee. The committee assured me that had they
previewed the piece, they would not have permitted it to be
displayed. The committee further assured me that they have put
measures in place to prevent this from occurring in the future and
they apologize for any inconvenience.
So my hope and belief is that we will not see this happen again.
Thank you again for writing.
Dave Cortese
County Supervisor, Third District
I did not see the image you are referring to either before or even during the event. However, it was brought to my attention by other Palestinian attendees who were similarly offended. I agree with the expressed concern that it was an inappropriate piece for our event.
I am personally very disappointed that it was on display. The art coordinators received strict instructions and submission guidelines prior to the event. These instructions explicitly prohibited pieces that displayed blood, guns and/or violence.
In the future, we will examine methods by which to more strictly enforce these guidelines. The Palestinian Cultural Day event is a celebration of culture and heritage, and should not be used by anybody to glorify violence.
Sincerely,
Samir Laymoun
Mister Laymoun,
As you noted, culture and violence are two different things, and should be kept apart. Why would anyone conflate the two? Especially as there is much that can be celebrated as Palestinian.
For a remarkable Palestinian cultural phenomenon, see this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q03QSzbptRU
And note this article from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8552705.stm
Next year perhaps you could bring Joseph Danho over?
周小燕
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