Mohammed El-Kurd's 'Rifqa': A poetic journey through Palestinian resistance
BY MOHAMED EL-KURD
Mohammed El-Kurd is a Palestinian poet and writer. Born in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, He went to America to study, and decided to come back to his homeland to protest. He, as thousands of people, is a direct witness to the ethnic cleansing that has been going on for more than 70 years by the Israeli government and his blood handed allies.
Putting words on this kind of work of art is a hard exercise. When I read this beautifully written collection of poems and texts, I often paused. I needed time to process the stories, the pain, the hardship, the grief, the loss. I needed time to process the glimpse of hope, and the helpless voices.
Rifqa is the name of the poet’s late grandmother, alongside whom we can wander through the pages. Rifqa had to leave her home, Haifa, with the strong belief that she’d return, a key hanging around her neck, hanging as her heritage, her identity, her culture and strength, becoming fragile through the years, poetry never leaving her.
There is a discomfiting strength in this book as El-Kurd describes women fighting for their lives while the whole world witnesses their deaths, even before they have truly lived.
The injustice is speechless, and yet he reminds us of how cruel it would be not to scream it, when people are fighting for their lives and lands .
In this anthology of poems, the artist shares numerous stories in a deeply poignant yet beautiful manner. It compels us to remember, empathize, advocate, and unite, recognizing we will never to be free until everybody is.Through his art, he passionately urges us to remain vigilant about genocides, urging us not just to commemorate the deceased but also to acknowledge the living.
Let these pages serve as a reminder, ensuring we never forget and scream and declare :
“from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”