I have always enjoyed the 5th of November. Bonfire night. The sparkling pretty sky lit up. Of course, we can’t forget the history of it. We have to remember the Gunpowder Plot was motivated by the persecution and oppression of the Catholics by the largely Protestant England. It was a case of a minority fighting for the right to exist and practice their religious and cultural beliefs. Yes, it was unsuccessful and brought a sense of Protestant relief and gratitude in saving lives including the life of James First. In the past I too like many a protestant celebrated the event. But in the light of what is happening in Palestine I felt differently. For me, for the first time, it made me feel very uneasy.
I’m sure a lot of people will relate to this. My daughter wanted to go and see some fireworks like we do every year. My mum lives close to a farm and as usual they put on a firework display and a bonfire for the community. It’s a lovely gesture and gets the village together. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have thought twice. I didn’t think about how I would feel before I went.
The first few bangs suddenly made me feel panic inside my body. It wasn’t an expected feeling for me. The pretty sky lit up, beautiful colours and designs in sight. But all I felt when hearing the loud bangs was how must the people in Palestine feel when they hear these constant bangs. Not knowing if their house will be next. I can imagine their fears and questions. Will it be close to us? Do we leave our house?
All these thoughts going around inside of my head. I felt for the innocent scared and dying children. The loud noise from the Israeli bombardments. Huge dazzling and destructive flames. Seeing the firework leave the ground up to the sky represented an Israeli rocket to me. It was just like watching the live images from coming out of Gaza on the Aljazeera news but without the pretty colours in the sky. How do the Palestinians feel in that war zone? Imagine the fear, death and terror surrounding them from every side. I imagined the parents trying to distract their children from the sounds of bombs going off. I wondered if the guy Fawkes night and celebratory fireworks evoked the thoughts about the experience of the Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank. It certainly did for me.
I know, I am not alone in my grief and condemnation of an unjust situation in Israel. Whilst the leadership from US and Europe may side with the oppressor the ordinary people across the world are with the Palestinians. I have to look at the international protests. I must believe that such protests are not in vain. I must sustain my courage and narrative of justice. And I am left with the encouraging thoughts of Arundhati Roy:
Our strategy should not be not only to confront injustices. We have to shame the perpetrators. To mock them. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness and our ability to tell own stories.
Leila Taha
