By Sammy Baroud
“We should be angry about what’s happening in the world and in particular in Gaza; the first time in history where there’s a live stream genocide.”
Various artists, speakers and influencers joined hands in a show of solidarity at a concert attended by thousands in Seattle, USA, on Saturday, to celebrate the resilience and resistance of the Palestinian people.
The Palestine Will Live Forever Festival was headlined by the Grammy-winning Seattle rapper, Macklemore, who performed his newly released song, Hinds Hall 2 – along with Palestinian American singer Anees and 16-year-old Gazan rapper MC Abdul – live for the first time to the roaring crowd.
The event also featured many other pro-Palestine artists such as Jordanian rapper and singer Eddy Mack, and South Seattle-based Moroccan-American rapper Essam, as well as many other talented musicians.
Gabriel Teodros speaking on Palestine Will Live Forever, an all-day hip-hop festival going down tomorrow in Seattle https://t.co/ZfRKki9UTr pic.twitter.com/fF9ykgDXkO
— Jay Smooth (@jsmooth995) September 20, 2024
Held at Seaward Park, in an outdoor amphitheater, legendary basketball icon Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf also delivered a powerful speech.
Abdul-Rauf, who played for nine years in the National Basketball Association, is known as the first athlete to sit out the US National Anthem in 1996, due to the oppression and tyranny the flag represented to him.
“We should be angry about what’s happening in the world and in particular in Gaza; the first time in history where there’s a live stream genocide, and you have so-called leaders that can’t seem to still define what a genocide is or what a war criminal is,” he told the crowd, his activism continuing in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
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Cultural Resistance
Also addressing the crowd was Zarefah Baroud, a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter’s European Center of Palestine Studies, and digital media associate for AMP (American Muslims for Palestine), who spoke on the important and sometimes under-reported topic of Palestinian prisoners.
Tik Tokker/Youtuber/Streamer Hamzah Saadah, whose videos talking to Zionists online have bolstered millions of views and have exposed to many people the genocidal views of the average zionist, also said a few words.
The diverse line-up of speakers and performers demonstrated that Palestinian solidarity can be a force for cultural resistance, no matter the discipline, whether Hip-Hop, academia, content creation, poetry, or sport.
Proceeds
This message was echoed in the night’s final performance when Macklemore, Anees, and MC Abdul performed Hinds Hall 2. Between performing Hinds Hall and Hinds Hall 2.
Macklemore powerfully stated that despite the credit he has received for speaking up during the Israeli-imposed genocide in Gaza, he wants to live in a world where “standing up against genocide is not considered brave, it is considered human”.
The event was organized and endorsed by various groups including local Palestine organizations such as Baladna, Falastiniyat, and many others.
All proceeds of the event benefited organizations assisting Palestinians on the ground; UNRWA, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), Pious Projects, and HEAL Palestine.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Sammy Baroud is a young Palestinian-American Sports Writer and an aspiring footballer. He contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle. Follow him @sammybaroud
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