Sunday, December 11, 2005
Gannit Ankari: An Israeli Who Gets It
An excerpt from Israeli art history professor's Gannit Ankari's interview with Al-Jazeera:
We had just passed Canada Park and the American asked: "What is this beautiful place?" I told him what I had been taught: "This is Canada Park, a wonderful place for picnics. The pine trees were planted as part of the Zionist ideology of making the desert bloom."
The Palestinian responded: "Yes, this place, Latroun, is now called Canada Park. The trees were planted as part of the Zionist effort to cover up three Arab villages that were destroyed and depopulated after the war of 1967."
I was shocked. I had no idea. As soon as we passed by Canada Park, I didn't answer any more "American" questions. I realised that I had to actively re-learn the history of my homeland. My quest to understand Palestinian art was related to this journey and to my need to uncover the narratives that had previously been repressed
Gannit Ankari is publishing a book about Palestinian art. To read the complete interview go here.
We had just passed Canada Park and the American asked: "What is this beautiful place?" I told him what I had been taught: "This is Canada Park, a wonderful place for picnics. The pine trees were planted as part of the Zionist ideology of making the desert bloom."
The Palestinian responded: "Yes, this place, Latroun, is now called Canada Park. The trees were planted as part of the Zionist effort to cover up three Arab villages that were destroyed and depopulated after the war of 1967."
I was shocked. I had no idea. As soon as we passed by Canada Park, I didn't answer any more "American" questions. I realised that I had to actively re-learn the history of my homeland. My quest to understand Palestinian art was related to this journey and to my need to uncover the narratives that had previously been repressed
Gannit Ankari is publishing a book about Palestinian art. To read the complete interview go here.
