Voices for Palestine: Glastonbury, Bashar Murad, and My Name is Rachel Corrie
Celebrating Palestinian Culture and Advocacy at Glastonbury and Beyond
It’s July and that means summer is officially in full swing! I have a great newsletter for you all today, and don't miss my pro-Palestine Spotify playlist for your summer backyard parties!
Today's Newsletter Highlights
Palestine Solidarity at Glastonbury Festival: The iconic festival showcased significant support for Palestine with flags and statements from performers.
My Name is Rachel Corrie: This play based on Rachel Corrie's writings continues to resonate, recently staged in London and coming to Salt Lake City.
Bashar Murad’s New Single "ITSAHELL": Queer Palestinian pop artist released a poignant song about the Palestinian experience, performed at Helsinki Pride.
Wally Rashid’s OlivePeace: Rashid’s new nonprofit aims to educate, advocate, and unite Palestinian voices, enhancing education and driving policy reforms.
Palestine Solidarity at Glastonbury Festival
The iconic Glastonbury Festival in Britain became a vibrant showcase of Palestinian solidarity, embraced by both performers and attendees. Palestinian flags were prominently visible throughout the five-day event, symbolizing widespread support for the cause.
Dua Lipa
Pop superstar Dua Lipa drew significant attention by incorporating Palestinian flags into camera shots during her performance at the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. Social media footage shows her singing in front of a flag bearing the words "Glasto for Palestine," signaling her support for the cause.
Blur
Blur’s Damon Albarn, making a surprise appearance during Bombay Bicycle Club’s set on Friday, rallied festival-goers by asking them to cheer if they supported Palestine. His affirmation of an “unfair war” in Gaza resonated deeply with the crowd.
Coldplay and Elyanna
For Coldplay's record fifth headlining performance at the Pyramid Stage, the band featured Palestinian singer Elyanna singing their 2019 song "Arabesque." Inspired by Chris Martin's 2017 visit to Palestine, the song celebrates the healing power of the arts with lyrics like, "We share the same blood. Music is the weapon; music is the weapon of the future."
Elyanna's Glastonbury appearance followed her star-making concert at the 2023 Coachella festival and her US television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There, she wore a Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf and performed "Mama Eh" from her new album Woledto, marking the first time a song was performed entirely in Arabic on the show's 31-year history.
Charlotte Church
Welsh singer Charlotte Church, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights, led a 100-strong choir in February in a rendition of "From the River to the Sea." On Friday, she took the Left Field stage wearing a red and white keffiyeh, leading the crowd in improvisational singing and declaring, “I’m going to give some love and feeling to Palestine. To all the people and all the mothers and children – we carry you in our hearts... Free Palestine."
Idles
British rockers Idles dedicated their track "Mother" from the 2008 album *Brutalism* to all Palestinians. Singer Joe Talbot introduced it as a celebration of turning insults into something beautiful, saying, "This is for the people of Palestine and this is for you."
According to Far Out, Idles also dedicated the song to Palestine at their Tangkin album launch in London. On stage in Brixton, Talbot said, “If she were alive today, she would want me to say: ‘Long live Palestine.’”
My Name is Rachel Corrie
In 2003, Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist, was run over by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to protect Palestinian homes from demolition in Rafah, Gaza.
In 2005, late actor Alan Rickman and editor Katharine Viner adapted Rachel Corrie’s writings into the play “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” first staged at London's Royal Court Theatre. The play received critical acclaim and awards.
Originally set to move to New York in 2006, the play faced controversy and was postponed indefinitely due to “political sensitivities,” which Rickman decried as censorship. It later premiered at the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village.
Today, the play continues to resonate. Recently staged by Sascha Shinder at London's Old Red Lion Theatre, "My Name is Rachel Corrie" is coming to Salt Lake City, Utah on July 5, 6, and 7.
Earlier this year, I created a video discussing Alan Rickman and the enduring impact of “My Name is Rachel Corrie.”
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Bashar Murad’s New Single: ITSAHELL
Queer Palestinian pop artist Bashar Murad recently launched his latest single "ITSAHELL." The title cleverly plays on "Israel," highlighting the challenging Palestinian experience, whether in exile or living under occupation.
Released on June 28, the song captures the poignant realities faced by Palestinians. Murad showcased the track live at Helsinki Pride on July 30, adding a powerful voice for Palestinian liberation to the event.
Check out “ITSAHELL” below.
Murad is also touring this summer! Check out the stops and dates here. For more information on Murad, watch the video I made about him in March below.
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Taking Action: Wally Rashid’s New Non-profit OlivePeace
Wally Rashid, a Palestinian American businessman and content creator who I follow on TikTok and Instagram, recently founded OlivePeace, a nonprofit born in reaction to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
For Wally, OlivePeace is more than an organization; it's a mission to educate, advocate, and unite Palestinian voices. The organization aims to unite Palestinian groups, enhancing K-12 education with Palestinian studies and advocating for policy reforms that reflect Palestinian realities.
Wally invites all Palestinian organizations to join this network, from educational institutions to advocacy groups.
If you are not a representative for a Palestinian organization, you can support OlivePeace right now by purchasing a cozy sweater, with 100% of profits benefiting the organization's vital initiatives.
Thank You
Let me know what you think by commenting below, and don't forget to share this newsletter with your friends and hit the like button. Together, we can tip the cultural scales in support of justice.
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Thank you for being part of this community!
In Solidarity,
illesha magdalena
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