Slingshot Hip Hop

The clips from Slingshot Hip Hop really opened my eyes to the conflicts going on in the Middle-East. Before watching, I knew that there was some sort of Israel-Palestine conflict but I never knew it was to such a large extent. The group Dam expressed the pain and distress felt by the Palestinian people in their music. In their song, "Who's the Terrorist" it really became clear the hardships that the Palestinian people are experiencing and that they were moved from their homeland where the only way they can resist is by throwing rocks. I think it is really good that Dam is working to get kids off the streets by creating clubs or other hang-out spots, they are really compassionate about improving life.

Abeer Al Zinati is a female singer/rapper who cannot even perform her music outside of her own home because of being female. Her family prohibits her from performing and she is constantly trying to assert her female identity. Palestinian women are very oppressed and are often stuck under male control. Abeer tries to sing about the oppression Palestinian women experience and is a strong woman figure because she works so hard to gain her independence from male control. Palestinian women are very discriminated against where they are not able to have certain jobs, they cannot wear what they want and do not have much choice over their marriages. I think it is really inspirational that Abeer is trying to be an independent woman and at the same time singing about the oppression of Palestinian women. The following article is really interesting in the fact that it discusses many of the oppressions Palestinian women face.

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/03/on-international-womens-day-palestinian-women-are-faced-with-two-struggles-freedom-from-occupation-and-liberation-within-their-own-society.html