Exile Songwriters of the Palestinian Revolution (and the Problem with Sugar Man)

Abstract

Bringing together musical research on three distinct locations of Palestinian displacement, this article explores the contributions of resistance songwriters Zeinab Shaath, George Totari, and George Kirmiz. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, including film-making, the works of the artists are explored through presentations of their lives in music, their social relationships, and journeys traversed by themselves and their music. Their approaches to songwriting and presentations of Palestinian narratives of resistance are discussed in relation to their stated political and social goals, which developed in parallel to an ongoing Palestinian Revolution in the region. The article proceeds from problems associated with the Sugar Man film phenomenon, in “lost” and “discovered” cultures, arguing that the singing and activism of the musicians finds greater relevance in the pursuit of ahdaf (“targets”) by Palestinian revolutionaries. Concepts such as musical genre and social organization are explored through their ability to present arguments on the way forward for exiles and those standing in solidarity with their cause.