Collective For Free Palestine, for the second year in a row, organizes the Days of Solidarity with the People of Palestine from November 25th to 30th at Ostavinska galerija, Kraljevića Marka 8 in Belgrade.
PROGRAM
Tuesday, 25. 11.
7 p.m. Opening of an exhibition of drawings and poems by young artists from Gaza.
The exhibition presents the works of three contemporary artists (Nada Rajab, Aja Shakelean and Ahmed Muhana), who create in conditions of continuous instability, displacement and limited access to basic resources. Verses by young poets from Gaza, who have been creating mainly since 2023, were also presented. Each of the media, be it language or drawing, functions as a specific form of archiving experience and subjective testimony.
Thursday, 27. 11.
18h Promotion of the book “Recognizing a Stranger” by Izabela Hamad, translated into Serbian and published by Raštan Publishing House
This book is an unusual essay of extraordinary suggestiveness, exploring the ways in which history and storytelling intertwine in the Palestinian narrative, questioning the boundaries between literature, political memory, and personal existence. Hamad subtly combines personal and collective memory, seeking an answer to the question of what it means to be a foreigner in the eyes of others, opening another passage to understanding Palestine – not as a geopolitical concept, but as a living experience of belonging, sacrifice and loss.
In conversation: Nevena Bojičić (proofreader and literary critic), Đorđe Vidojević (ZSP member and graphic designer) and the editorial staff of Raštan Publishing House participate in the discussion about the book, moderated by Maja Radivojević (ZSP member).
20h Screening of the film “Notes on Displacement” (2022)
The film “Notes on Displacement” by Palestinian visual artist and director Khaled Jarar, follows Nadira, an elderly Palestinian woman who has been a refugee since the age of 12, and her daughter Mona on their journey from Damascus to Germany, setting in motion Nadira’s second refugee journey. Director Khaled Jarrar receives disturbing videos and voice messages as they cross over to the Greek island of Lesbos where he joins them in their journey towards freedom.
Friday, 28.11.
7 p.m. An introduction of the For Free Palestine Collective and conversation about the incitive
The aim of this informal conversation is to bring the work of the collective closer to the community, as well as to invite potential new members who wish to join the movement for Free Palestine and interconnected struggles.
Saturday 29.11.
2 p.m. Screen printing
Students of the Academy of Applied Arts will reprint pro-Palestinian motifs on your t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies. After a very successful and well-attended event in the Liberated Student Cultural Center (SKC) we are collaborating with the same team of students who will print in Ostavinska galerija this time.
6 p.m. Discussion: The right to resistance
Students in the blockade of DUNP (State University in Novi Pazar) and Ivan Ejub Kostić, research associate of IFDT (Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory) participate in the conversation, moderated by Lav Mrenović, member of ZSP and independent curator. The panel will discuss the similarities and differences between the resistance of the Palestinian people to the Israeli occupation and apartheid, and student blockades and protests in Serbia against corruption. The special focus of the conversation will be on the students from Novi Pazar who fought to finally be recognized as a legitimate political entity in Serbian politics and their unreserved international solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Sunday 30.11.
6 p.m. A conversation with participants of the Sumud flotilla about their experiences.
ABOUT THE SOLIDARITY DAY WITH THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE
The International Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine was established in 1977 by the United Nations, in commemoration of Resolution 181 of 1947, which proposed two states solution. From the very beginning, a lot of criticism was directed at the UN, mainly because of its inability to solve the continuous violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and to put into practice resolution 194, which guarantees Palestinians the right to return to the areas from which they were expelled.
This year’s Solidarity Day comes just after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on the peace plan – in practice, a new phase of colonialism in Gaza begins. The resolution calls for the creation of an international “stabilization force” to work with Israel, Egypt and the newly formed Palestinian police – 30,000 troops, not peacekeepers but “law enforcement”. Also, the violent disarmament of the Palestinian resistance movement, as well as the formation of a “peace committee” theoretically chaired by Trump. A Palestinian state is vaguely mentioned in the future, but without details and on the condition that reforms are implemented. Additionally, the resolution states that Israel in any case has the veto power.
This resolution comes at a time of supposed ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has so far violated the truce dozens of times by bombing schools and hospitals; humanitarian aid is not getting into Gaza fast enough: there is still not enough food and medical supplies, and the harsh weather conditions worsen the low quality of life. During that time in the occupied West Bank, the settler-colonial repression against the Palestinian people is increasing every day. This year’s olive harvest season saw an unprecedented increase in violence and terrorization of farmers by settlers from nearby illegal settlements.
Because of all this, but also because we refuse to reduce the people of Palestine to passive victims, we are organizing a week-long program in Ostavinska galerija.
Come to support the work of the collective and to send together a message of solidarity to the people of Palestine.