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Piece Description
This radio documentary provides a picture of the lives of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, through the stories of residents of Burj el-Shemali. Through beautiful sound-collage, multiple interviews and informative narration this documentary presents an honest picture of the lives of the largest refugee population in the world, the Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of stateless Palestinian refugees reside in Lebanon scattered in impoverished refugee camps throughout the country, originally displaced through the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Without the right to work in over 70 professions, barred from owning property and legally defined as foreigners, Palestinians live in Lebanon as second-class citizens without basic social or political rights. This radio documentary addresses the present reality facing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, through voices of residents from Burj el-Shemali refugee camp. Featuring interviews with Raef Ahmed of the 'Popular Committee' in Burj el-Shemali, Khawla Khalaf & Mahmoud Juma of the Palestinian NGO, Beit Atfal al-Sumoud [Home of Children with Steadfastness]. This documentary touches on critical issues, such as U.N. Resolution 1559, which demands for the disarmament of all Palestinian military factions within the refugee camps of Lebanon. This documentary also focuses on the issue of the right of return for Palestinian refugees, a demand voiced by Palestinian refugees throughout Lebanon and outlined in U.N. Resolution 194.
Timing and Cues
[00:00 ? 03:45] Introduction to the Radio Tadamon! documentary on Burj el-Shemali refugee camp which addresses the present reality facing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, through voices of residents from Burj el-Shemali refugee camp. This documentary is hosted by Sawsan Kalache and Stefan Christoff of Tadamon! in Montreal.
[03:45 ? 05:15] Interview with Raef Ahmed of the 'Popular Committee' in Burj el-Shemali refugee camp, the central political body within the camp. In this segment Raef Ahmed outlines the history of Burj el-Shemali refugee camp in Arabic, which has been translated to English for broadcast.
[05:15 ? 07:55] An interview with Khawla Khalaf of Palestinian NGO, Beit Atfal al-Sumoud [Home of Children with Steadfastness], which operates a large youth and educational center in the refugee camps. Beit Atfal al-Sumoud is a large Palestinian NGO in Lebanon, which has established centers in the major of Lebanon 12 official Palestinian refugee camps. An important element of Beit Atfal al-Sumoud?s educational work with Palestinian youth is concerning the Palestinian refugees ?Right of Return?, outlined by U.N. resolution 194 and central to the social and political identity of all Palestinian refugees in Lebanon displaced through the creation of the state of Israel.
[07:55 ? 13:45] An interview with Mahmoud Juma also a community organizer with Palestinian NGO, Beit Atfal al-Sumoud [Home of Children with Steadfastness]. This interview outlines some basic history of the refugee camp and provides personal testimony to the construction of Burj el-Shemali refugee camp.
[13:45 ? 15:15] Narration within the radio documentary which outlines the realities faced by the 20 000 residents of Burj el-Shemali refugee camp within the context of the Lebanese civil-war between 1975-2000. Specifically addressing the war crimes committed against camp residents by the Israeli military during it?s illegal invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
[15:15 ? 17:15] Raef Ahmed of the 'Popular Committee' in Burj el-Shemali refugee camp, outlines a little know massacre of Palestinian refugee in Burj el-Shemali refugee camp during the Israeli military invasion of Lebanon in 1982. In this brief interview clip Raef Ahmed outlines the el-Hooli massacre, which took place in 1982, when Israeli war planes dropped phosphoric bombs on a kindergarten which has been transformed to a shelter within the refugee camps for children. In this massacre upwards of 100 children and their mothers perished.
[17:15 ? 19:15] Khawla Khalaf of Palestinian NGO, Beit Atfal al-Sumoud addresses the el-Hooli massacre. Outlining how until today it remaining a scar of war upon the identities of the residents of Burj el-Shemali, who have constructed a self-finances monument to the Israeli military massacre in 1982 within the refugee camp.
[19:15 ? 23:25] Raef Ahmed of the refugee camps popular committee, Khawla Khalaf & Mahmoud Juma with Palestinian NGO, Beit Atfal al-Sumoud outline the present economic situation facing the residents of the refugee camps today. In Lebanon Palestinian refugee are today subject to economic law, which challenges the basic survival of the refugees. The Lebanese state officially bares Palestinians from working in all professional occupations, including the medical, journalistic, legal and engineering fields of work. Also Palestinian refugee are not allow by law to own or buy property in Lebanon outside of the refugee camps, which restricts the ability of Palestinian refugees to move outside of the economic and political poverty which defines daily life within the refugee camps of Lebanon.
[23:25 ? 25:35] Khawla Khalaf addresses how the present day economic and political poverty of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has forced many young residents of the camps to flee to Western countries in order to seek asylum. This interview segments also addresses the difficulties faced by Palestinian refugee fleeing Lebanon in requesting asylum in the West today, as many Palestinians arrive in countries in Canada and are refused refugee status remaining stateless non-citizens as in Lebanon.
[25:35 ? 26:55] Khawla Khalaf addresses the importance of the ?Right of Return? for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who until today are struggling to return to the lands of Palestinian today colonized by Israel. This segment of the documentary underlies the importance of the Right of Return to the Palestinian political identity in Lebanon and throughout the world.
[26:55 ? 29:01] A narrated segment of the documentary that provides detailed information concerning the organizations, groups and individual who were featured in the documentary. Also this narration segment outlines various website that listeners can visit to find out more information concerning Burj el-Shemali refugee camp, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the present struggle for social / political rights of Palestinians in Lebanon.
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Jonathan Groubert
Posted on January 23, 2007 at 05:03 AM | Permalink
Review of Burj el-Shemali Refugee Camp
Stefan Christoff's half hour report on the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon does little to create sympathy for the denizens of Burj el-Shemali.
No listener is interested in a poorly read, rather dry four minute intro. When we finally hear a Palestinian voice, his overmodulated Arabic is faded down, but not enough to hear the voice over.
The pace is slow, the interviews long and no attempt is made to create real context for the listener.
It must also be noted that this program is also coproduced by a group called "The Electronic Intifada". Considering the sensitivity of the issue amongst the American public, I would recommend stations find a more professionally produced, more balanced program for broadcast. However, precisely because the subject is so charged, good programs on Palestinian refugees are few and far between.
Three stars for the attempt to present little heard Palestinian voices on American radio. One star for the actual execution, leaving an average of two stars.