The keffiyeh has always been a symbol of strength and resistance Photo Twitter @telesurenglish
World – World Keffiyeh Day is an annual event held on 11 May in conjunction with Nakba Day on 15 May. It is a global movement to bring awareness and show visual solidarity with the Palestinian cause and struggle. It was first initiated by the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at Concordia University in Canada and has since spread rapidly.
While we understand what the day is, we may not know why the keffiyeh has been chosen as the symbol for this day. The keffiyeh is a gender neutral chequered scarf that you’ll usually see in either red or black. The Palestinian keffiyeh is black and white. The keffiyeh has always been a symbol for the Palestinian people since Al Nakba, explained Sundos Hammad, Coordinator of the Right to Education Campaign, Birzeit University, Westbank, Palestine.
“Farmers before and Al Nakba used to wear the keffiyeh in their daily lives. In 1936 during the Arab-Palestinian Revolt, rebels used the keffiyeh to cover their eyes so the British soldiers could not identify them. Then later the Palestinian people used the keffiyeh so these soldiers could not identify the rebels. It has always been a symbol of unity in Palestine using the keffiyeh. During the first and second uprising in Palestine we used the keffiyeh as a symbol of resistance.”
Former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat used the keffiyeh each and every day to send a message to the world that the keffiyeh is their way. It is their means for peace and freedom, said Hammad.
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Using education to change the circumstances
Besides the keffiyeh, there are other ways to spread the message. Hammad has worked on The Right To Education campaign which has allowed her to grow her own network and help spread what is going on in Palestine.
“This campaign works on building an international network to support the Palestinian students’ right to education and to seek academic freedom. Not only for the students but for all the academic societies in Palestine. The shapes of solidarity can come in many ways and also on many levels. Today we as students and scholars can connect around the world.”
There are more than 60 students currently in Israeli prisons simply for protesting the occupation in their campus and being part of their student movement. This speaks to how their freedom of expression has been subdued and their voices have been silent by the Israeli government.
For Hammad these acts of solidarity are extremely important to the people of Palestine. It lets them know they are not alone and more importantly, it forces dialogue to take place so people know what is going on. As long as people continue with it, there is a chance that one day Palestine will be free.
Sundos Hammad spoke to Inayet Wadee on the importance of education and solidarity with Palestine. Listen to the podcast here;
