In a celebrated expression of solidarity with Palestinians and the people of Gaza, the National Writers Association of South Africa (NWASA) and the General Union of Palestinian Writers (GUPW) have signed a cultural partnership agreement.
While the partnership agreement “A Cape to Gaza Writers Declaration” was officially signed on Human Rights Day at Freedom Park in Tshwane, representatives from the two organisations engaged with writers, poets and supporters on the partnership at the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) on Saturday.
The afternoon included open mic poetry reading and musical performances by Youth Arise.
NWASA steering committee member and anti-apartheid poet Professor Keith Gottschalk said: “As we formalise our kindred through this cultural partnership agreement as a guide, we declare that we shall together not tire to fight and write until Palestine is free and writers enjoy a peaceful atmosphere to carry on with their craft of producing and promoting literature.”
Through the declaration, a clarion call was made to end the decades-long occupation of Palestine; for a ceasefire in Gaza; the need for genuine negotiations for a lasting peaceful solution; and to cease the destruction of cultural facilities such as libraries, universities, and mosques.
“Palestinian writers cannot travel between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank without a dompas. Freedom of movement must be restored. The demolition of homes in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and in East Jerusalem must end,” Gottschalk said.
Gottschalk said there was a need to translate poems from Arabic to English and vice versa.
In attendance was acclaimed South African poet James Matthews, who at the age of 94 strikingly rendered a poem from his book, ‘Cry Rage’, the first poetry book in South Africa to be banned by the National Party under apartheid.
“Every freedom child, no matter which land he is in where he is oppressed, has the right to fight back. Fight back by picking up arms. If arms are not available, then use words.
“Every line in my poem is ammunition to fight the racists. And it is only proper that we teach our children no matter how oppressive and the methods used by the oppressor, we must fight back,” Matthews said.
GUPW secretary-general Murad Al-Sudani said more than 127 journalists and over 42 poets, artists and writers in Gaza have been killed, of which 24 were affiliated with the association of Palestinian writers.
He said libraries, museums, mosques, churches, schools, colleges and universities have been destroyed as a result of Israel’s military attacks on Gaza.
He said many writers and novelists have been imprisoned and touched on the horrid conditions of their imprisonment.
Israeli authorities extended the prison sentence of Palestinian writer and intellectual Walid Daqqa despite an advanced stage of cancer, with close to 40 years’ imprisonment.
“Can you imagine an occupation that keeps in the prison the body of prisoners after their death because they have to finish their sentence,” Al-Sudani said.
Al-Sudani also thanked South Africa for the support the country has shown for Palestine.
“Between Palestine and South Africa, there is a great deal of commonality and a great deal of what we share. Because our struggle and our resistance are one but also our enemy is one.”