P U L S E

Two days ago PULSE published an exclusive interview with previous PalFest patron, Carmen Callil, as part of our in-depth coverage of this year’s festival.  Now, just one day before official opening, we’re publishing a second interview with 2010 PalFest participant, Nathalie Handal.

Nathalie Handal is an award-winning poet, playwright and writer. She has lived in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Arab world. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, and she has been featured on PBS The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, NPR, as well as The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, Mail & Guardian, The Jordan Times and Il Piccolo. Her most recent books include: Love and Strange Horses (2010), and the landmark anthology, Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia and Beyond (2008). Handal has been involved either as a writer, director or producer in over twelve theatrical and/or film productions worldwide. She was an honoured finalist for the 2009 International Rescue Committee Freedom Award.

Jasmin Ramsey (JR): Why did you decide to participate in the Palestine Festival of Literature again this year?

Nathalie Handal (NH): When Ahdaf Soueif and the PalFest committee invited me three years ago, I knew that this festival was going to be a bridge between Palestinians and the West, exposing Westerners to life in the occupied territories. More than that, perhaps, it would also lead a much needed dialogue on literature and creativity between writers, thinkers, students, teachers, and the general public. The festival has also made participants aware of the incredible talent that exists in the West Bank, as well as made it possible for Palestinians to meet and have an exchange with award-wining authors—an incredible opportunity given the fact that most of them cannot travel.

JR: You have visited the occupied Palestinian territories before and reference Palestine as part of your heritage in your work. How do your Palestinian roots affect your artistic output?

NH: Palestine, and more specifically Bethlehem, where I am originally from, is part of my personal history. Dislocation has been a close companion to this heritage. As a result, I have navigated borders most of my life, from the Caribbean to Latin America, France to the United States. Displacement has not been a simple place to exist. It is a place where the dark is suspended but also where luminous galaxies are waiting to be crossed.

Thus, Palestine and this exilic experience cannot but transpire in my work. At times, I write to bear witness, but mostly, I believe in the transcending and transformative power of art, how it makes us aware of who we are and of the world around us, and how it engages us consciously and subconsciously with what we want and don’t want to know.

As for Palestine, it is not what is used to be but it is still very much what it has always been.

JR: In “War” you describe the seemingly endless sorrow that Palestinians have been experiencing for decades and a sense of helplessness that resonates from much of the world’s indifference. You end the piece on a dark note. What can Palestinians be hopeful about?

NH: That there are always endings, and new beginnings. I believe that we have reached such a horrifying point in our history that it can only change. There are some changes happening. It might not be apparent but it is happening. And those changes are occurring among the people on both sides—we are always more advanced than our governments.

JR: You have written that your Anthology, The Poetry of Arab Women, was “prepared to eradicate invisibility.” In what way do Palestinian women suffer from invisibility and how does the art of writing work to counter this?

NH: Palestinians in the occupied territories and in refugee camps suffer from invisibility because they are not free. They still manage to have their voices heard but not enough. I think Palestinians in the Diaspora, and of course Palestinian writers, have an important role to play in the eradication of their invisibility. That said, much has changed since I published that anthology. Before September 11, many Palestinians did not conceal their identity in fear of being discriminated and alienated. Or, when they said where they were from, people did not know where Palestine was. After 9/11, the conversation opened up. The world, and more specifically the United States, became aware of who Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians are.

I am not claiming that literature can solve all of our problems, but I profoundly believe in its power to inform and its ability to change people’s minds. The page has no borders, no nationality. It is the truest place to meet and remind us of our humanity.

JR: What stands out in your mind about the people you met in Palestine while traveling with PalFest? In your opinion, how does Israel’s military occupation of Palestine affect Palestinian writers?

NH: Their resilience. Generosity. The beauty they insist on believing in. The grace that grows from their sorrow. Their capacity to hope.

Just say the word occupation and you will realize that you can’t move further…

Visit PULSE’s archive of PalFest related articles and PalFest’s official website and Facebook page for regular updates.

Tagged: Nathalie Handal, Palestine Festival of Literature, Palfest