Blogs

tonight I saw a documentary called "Recognized" at the Jerusalem Cinematheque by director Ori Kleiner which shows some bedouins who live in the Negev desert & have been displaced by the Israeli government and who have had their homes demolished and property confiscated. I'm afraid I still don't really know why. the film mentioned the people were not counted as Israeli citizens, despite them and their ancestors being born in Israel and having lived in the region for longer than the State of Israel has existed. and also that in some cases the land has been claimed by the military and national parks.

it's a good film to see though as I wasn't aware this was happening. to be honest, some of what was mentioned reminded me of India and it's relocation of villages (though some people I've spoken to say this doesn't exist, despite me seeing video footage, photos and reports via the Sarai i-fellows of it occurring)

the film mentions support from Regional Council of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev - http://www.idealist.org/en/org/160469-22 has some information

dukium.org has some info - time to read up on this..

links page on dukium.org : http://dukium.org/modules.php?name=RefLinks

some other work by the director Ori Kleiner can be found @ :

http://www.holyfly.com/POA/
http://www.wac.ucla.edu/extensionsjournal/v2/kleiner.htm
http://www.oznik.com/art/040613.html

the film blurb :

Recognized
A documentary film by Ori Kleiner
Israel/USA 2007
61min
Hebrew and Arabic w/English subtitles
Additional Camera: Natasha Dudinski
Original Music and Sound Editing: Grundik Kasyansky

"Bedouin usually appear in the Israeli collective consciousness as
either "ethnographic" or "demographic"issues. Their representation by
means of various objects—coffee, camels, tents, carpets—keeps most
Israelis from grasping Bedouin as subjects with wishes and wills,
frustrations and fears; as possessing not only a past, but also a
future. The film Recognized is made up of documentary moments that
trace the uprooted experiences of Nuri al-Ukbi, Salman Abu Jlidan, Eid
Al-Athamin, Ibrahim Abu Afash, and Samaher Abu Jlidan whom history has
cast in the roles of protagonists antagonized by a State that
established itself up on their ancestral lands. Recognized is not a
film about Bedouin, but about people forced into the role of
Bedouin—the only identity theState of Israel allows them, the very
identity it systematically denies them. Substandard citizenship,
coupled with daily existential obstacles posed by the State, are what
this film is about. Recognized was filmed entirely on
location in the Negev desert in the summer of 2006. "

this is the view of the Dead Sea where highway 1 & 90 meet, East of Jerusalem. I stopped for a drink and to take a photo. then I drove down as far as Meseda - will have to go back another day to see more as I only stayed on the highway this trip. the desert is amazing - layers of beige. I was expecting lots of sand, but the countryside seems to be quite rocky. perhaps further inland there's sand.

28/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a043xf9rPTk

in jerusalem, and even tel aviv there's not much postering going on - on the walls of the buildings. it seems much more controlled. they have these boards up at regular spots around the city. there's a number to call at the top of the board and I've seen the guys swapping the posters each week.

so it's a small business for the board holders. similar to the flyer bags in UK.

there's a mix of events listed on the boards too. I've seen flyers, with bits of english that I could read, for djs (eg Markey Funk who's cd I bought the other day - a down tempo hip hop / turntablist), plus larger concerts and jazz festivals and book readings / fairs and workshops / lectures. most of the things actually look like they'd be quite interesting if I could read / speak Hebrew!

a few quick clips taken at the beach at Tel Aviv, 27/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cM-X05Rpa4

short clip of some graf near the beach at Tel Aviv, Israel, 27/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUEaJkL_CE0

here's some artists/music I've found (so far) from checking out a
nearby music store Music House (keren ha-yesod 25) (mostly classical & jazz, but a smaller
section on other styles) in Jerusalem. there's a music store on Shamai Street too where I later bought more cds.

dj Markey Funk
Agitpop Records
http://www.agitpoprecords.com

- I bought his "Beats!!! AMN Manifesto Sound! Vol 1" cd
Beats from AMS Manifesto shows 2003-2004
nice collection of beats. sort of ninja tune / turntablism style if
you're into that. he has some other radio shows recorded & available
for download on the site @
http://agitpoprecords.com/go_ask_alice/index.html. just downloading
now to take a listen.

his myspace page is http://myspace.com/markeyfunk - songs there also & info

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The Apples
- funk / jazz / beats
http://www.theapplesmusic.com/
http://myspace.com/theapplesmusic

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Radio Trip
http://www.myspace.com/radiotrip

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the city skyline of Tel Aviv in Israel, taken from Jaffa, the original port town nearby. 18/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEePddtsh_o

posting a letter from Israel to family & friends - this site seems to be turning into my travel blog ;)

short clip showing Dome of Rock and Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. 13/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkcriVMsVY

the view of the Western Wall in Jerusalem Old City, from the rooftop of the Armenian Quarter. 13/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCkMPpf2-JU

photo memories - I take way too many photos and have been uploading them to my flickr page. since I've been travelling over the last few years, I've been trying to upload the photos to the net so I'll have an online backup and be able to access them when I get a bit homesick. they also help me remember things. some might say this is taking the lazy way out and I should train my memory better to remember things. but the photos act as little triggers, or index pointers into the rhizhomes in my brain connected to remembering. I can remember some things from my early childhood, from probably around age 4. other people can remember earlier - I've always wondered how they do this. there's a couple of photos of me back then and I can remember the photo being taken and a few minutes around this time. but I'm not sure if this is just because there is a photo to trigger the recollection - I suspect it is. when I was growing up, Mum took photos but not as many as are taken these days. it was more expensive to have the pictures developed and you couldn't afford (well we couldn't!) to waste too many shots so the pictures were taken with more care (than I tend to use when happy snapping). I wonder if kids these days, who have thousands of photos taken of them at all stages of their life, will remember their earlier life better because of the photos and videos? perhaps they won't even notice or care.