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Brian J Bowe, Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance Louis Brehony, Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 37, Issue 2, June 2024, Pages 612–614, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feae028
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Extract
In May 2023, Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf’s 2015 hit ‘Ana Dammi Falastini’ (‘My Blood is Palestinian’) was removed from the Spotify streaming service. While no clear reason was provided for the removal, the incident raised suspicions of suppression of pro-Palestinian content (Aladam 2023). After the harsh escalation of hostilities in Gaza after the attacks of 7 October 2024, ‘Ana Dammi Falastini’ became an international rallying cry, featured in videos posted on Instagram and TikTok. With its driving beat and mijwiz-and-strings instrumentation, the song became a potent sonic symbol of resistance.
Assaf, who in 2013 became the first Palestinian artist to win the Arab Idol singing competition, provides a current example of the centrality of music to the Palestinian liberation struggle. His story is touched upon briefly in Louis Brehony’s Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance. The result of 10 years of ethnographic research, Brehony’s book is a towering achievement, and essential reading that provides context and texture to current world events.