‘From Gaza We Speak’ comes to Jerez.
By Liz Colo
‘This week’s blog post is written by Liz, one of our many brilliant volunteers in Spain.’
Spring has definitely sprung here in Jerez de la Frontera, in the south of Spain. The heavy rain has gone, the sun is shining, the oranges have been harvested, and the cherry trees are in full bloom.
The heart of our springtime is always a very local affair. But last night our focus shifted outwards, to places like Gaza and Cairo and Totnes and as far as the south of Russia.
What an enchanting spring evening we shared with Nick and Diana, watching and then discussing the documentary From Gaza We Speak!
The warm and welcoming centre of Corral del San Antón, in the heart of old Jerez, was the location of the screening of the documentary. The evening started with merienda, a snack break between lunch and dinner typical in Spain, where we were served a variety of cheese cakes, cookies, and tea and coffee. Our hosts were the Sumud Jerez association, who, for the past two and a half years, have been working tirelessly to highlight the continuing injustices in
Gaza and to fundraise for direct food and aid to the region. After a short introduction by two of the group’s members and the reading of a poem dedicated to peace by local poet Isabel de Rueda, the documentary was shown to a rapt audience. The silence at the end of the screening spoke volumes; people were literally speechless in the face of tragedy.
But there was also a palpable sense of optimism in the room. It later emerged in the informal conversations between audience members that the documentary was also filled with faith.
Not the direct religious kind that we are so familiar with, but faith in the resilience of people, faith in the power of the arts to change lives, faith in the goodness of others, and in our global connectedness.
That connectedness was on full display when we linked by Zoom to our own amazing Nick in Totnes, and to the wonderful, generous, and inspiring Diana joining us from the south of Russia. Our Jerez friends Miriam and Sote took charge of the translations (Arabic/English/Spanish) where necessary, and so language was no barrier. In fact, it was a wonderful part of the experience, listening to people speaking in their native language and being able to appreciate the poetry in those foreign sounds.
Nick and Diana generously answered questions ranging from funding of projects to life in exile. We laughed, we engaged, we reflected. The onscreen connection had been facilitated by modern technology, but it was the spirit of solidarity that was the true connectedness that everyone in the room felt on that magical spring evening in Jerez de la Frontera.
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@corraldesananton
@sumud_jerez
@deruedarubiales
