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Palestine update & Hiphop Tour

damtour@eml.cc | 04.10.2003 22:07 | Culture | Palestine | Social Struggles

Tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories are running high as Israel completely seals off its border for Yom Kippur. On Saturday, a female suicide bomber - who's brother and cousin were killed by the IOF - blew herself up in an Arabic/Jewish cafe in Haifa, killing 20 and wounding scores more. Last week, Israel announced its intention to complete the controversial 'Apartheid Wall' which will effectively seal in 150,000 Palestinians whilst annexing another 1/4 million in East Jerusalem and creating an illegal defacto border. Israel also announced further plans for another 600 houses on its illegal West Bank settlements.

Educational charity Markaz at-Tanwir are bringing a Palestinian Hiphop outfit called DAM to the UK for an awareness raising tour and to generate funds for a computer centre in the Rafah refugee camp. Only last week in Rafah, the IOF demolished 18 Palestinian homes, leaving 44 families homeless. Also, 9 Palestinians, including a child who died of fright, were killed and more than 30 others were wounded by the Israeli occupying forces.
The tour kicks of on Thursday at the Scala, London with Fundamental. Full tour details HERE

Electronic Intifada | Palestine Solidarity Campaign | Arab Media Watch | Al-Awda | Palestine Report



UK Tour Dates:

9/10 - London: Scala Nightclub 8pm - 3am; DAM live plus 2 rooms of Asian Underground and Arabic Sounds: Aki and D from FunMental performing "Sounds of Mass Destruction": plus DJs including: Pandit-G of the ADF; DJ Nerm of the Shiva Sound System; The 'Nation Records World Service'; DJ U-Cef and DJ Yazid. TICKETS: £9 or £7 in advance - contact either damtour@eml.cc or call 07733 235 760 or 07919 134 144 to arrange advance purchases.

10/10 - Bristol : Malcolm X Centre St Paul’s, Bristol BS2 10pm - 4am £6/5 concessions : DAM (direct from Palestine), Fun’da’mental, Jalal Nuridin (from the original Last Poets) Oshin (57th Dynasty) Bobafatt & Honeytrap, Klandestino (KFS) - organised by Kebele Kulture Projekt

12/10 - Birmingham at The Drum - DAM supporting a new collaborative live performance by FunMental and the South African gospel choir, MIGHTY ZULU NATION. Box Office: 0121 333 2444 or visit the drum website at: http://www.the-drum.org.uk

14/10 - Liverpool, Bluecoat Arts Centre (£5 / £3) - DAM supported by local Bhangra DJ's tickets contact 01517092148 - organised by Liverpool dockers.

15/10 - Brighton, 'The Brighton Gloucester': - "Rhymes of Resistance", featuring DAM live, plus GMBabyz live and mixed sounds from the Funkatech label. 9pm - 2am - Tickets: £4 before 11pm; £5 after. Cheap drinks promotion!

16/10 - York, The Fibbers Club - DAM live plus The Unpeople live and mixed sounds: see details at: http://www.fibbers.co.uk/fibbers/listings.cfm?venue=1&fday=1&fmonth=10&fyear=2003&tday=31&tmonth=10&tyear=2003&mode=listings

17/10 - London, Sahara Nights Club - Details to be confirmed: contact damtour@eml.cc

18/10 - Burnley, Mechanics Theatre: - DAM supporting a new collaborative live performance by FunMental and the South African gospel choir, MIGHTY ZULU NATION see: http://www.burnleymechanics.co.uk/october.html TICKETS - £7 & £5 - box office: 01282 664400

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Please note that all monies raised will go to http://www.enlighten-palestine.org/ who are in the process of building a new educational centre in the Rafah refugee camp.

‘DAM’ are the first Palestinian rap crew. Already the subject of an award-winning documentary film and the recipients of growing media attention both in the Middle East and beyond, the band combine the modern, urban sound of western rap music with traditional sounds culled from the Arab world. DAM which translates as ‘Continuation’ - employ powerful political lyrics which revolve around the racial discrimination and social marginalisation the band, as Palestinian citizens living within Israel’s 1948 borders, experience in their homeland.

With their independently released debut album, entitled ‘Min Irhabi’ or ‘Who’s the Terrorist?’ , DAM found themselves in the welcome, if unexpected, media spotlight with the likes of Rolling Stone magazine running feature length articles on them and Israel’s anti-establishment musicians inelegantly rushing to court them.

The Palestinian-UK educational charity Markaz At-Tanwir is bringing DAM to the UK in early October 2003 to play in London and potentially beyond in a series of fund- and awareness-raising performances.

All enquiries please contact - damtour@eml.cc or 07919 134144

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DAM: Who’s The Terrorist? (© DAM Rights Reserved etc.)

Who’s the terrorist? Am I the terrorist? Me, a terrorist? And I live in my homeland? Who’s the terrorist You’re the terrorist! You’ve taken everything I own in my land!

You have killed me, And my ancestors. You want me to go to the Law? What for?, you’re the enemy!

You’re the witness, The lawyer and the judge, Destroying me, Beginning my end.

You want to reduce our numbers. Though we are a minority, A minority to end up, A majority in the cemetery!

Democracy?! You remind me of the Nazis! Because you’ve raped the Arab soul, And it became pregnant, Giving birth to suicide bombers.

And then you call us terrorists!

You’ve killed and looted, And when I accuse you… You jump up and get defensive, And complain when our children throw stones.

You ask: ‘Don’t they have parents to keep them at home?’ Did you forget that you’ve killed the parents? And now that I’m hurting, You call me a terrorist!

Who’s the terrorist? Am I the terrorist? Me, a terrorist? And I live in my homeland? Who’s the terrorist? You’re the terrorist! You’ve taken everything I own in my land!

Why am I a terrorist? Because I’m not indifferent? I’m hot-headed because I walk With my head up high, Trying to defend my land.

They killed my loved ones, Now I’m alone; My family was ‘dispersed’, But I’ll keep on crying out loud!

I’m not against peace, This peace is against me! It wants to eliminate me, Erase my heritage.

And he who dares to object, He who musters the courage to speak up, You turn him into a mean and miserable person… Who the hell do you think you are?

Look at all the people you killed, All the children you made orphans. Our mothers weep, Our fathers wail, Our lands are robbed.

I’m telling you who you are: You grew up in indulgence. We grew up in poverty; You grew up in spacious homes. We grew up in slums.

He became a patriot, And you made him a criminal; Then you, the terrorist, Have the nerve to call me a terrorist!

Who’s the terrorist? Am I the terrorist? Me, a terrorist? And I live in my homeland?

Who’s the terrorist? You’re the terrorist! You’ve taken everything I own in my land!

When will I stop being a terrorist? When you hit me on one cheek and I turn the other? How do you expect me to thank the one who hurts me? You know what? You tell me how you want me to be:

On my knees? With my hands tied? Eyes to the ground? Bodies scattered everywhere? Ruined homes? Refugee families? Orphans? ‘Free’ with handcuffs on?

Your wish is my command: You kill, I’ll dig the graves, We will suffer quietly, We will hide our pain.

All that counts is that you feel secure Relax, and leave the suffering to us, Because our blood is the blood of dogs, Even less.

When a dog bleeds, Animal rights activists rise up; Our blood is cheaper than the blood of dogs?

No, my blood in not cheap, And I’ll defend myself, Even if you call me a terrorist!

Who’s the terrorist? Am I the terrorist? Me, a terrorist? And I live in my homeland?

Who’s the terrorist? You’re the terrorist! You’ve taken everything I own in my land!

damtour@eml.cc
- Homepage: http://www.enlighten-palestine.org/about.asp

Comments

Display the following 3 comments

  1. The pathetic whining of a right-wing zionist. — Mad Ax
  2. You fucking idiot troll. — Death to Evangelists!
  3. No war like the pop war — Penkie