RIM BANNA (1966 - 2018)

THE VOICE OF PALESTINE

“Oh root of my roots,
I will surely return,
so wait for me.
Wait for me in the cracks
of the rocks and the thorns
In the olive blossoms,
in the color of the butterflies” 

Excerpt from The Voice, the Fragrance and the Figure, 2005

Rim Banna was a fearless singer, lyricist and composer. She used her voice as a means of cultural self-assertion and a call for steadfast resistance to colonization. Born and raised a Palestinian citizen of Israel in the city of Nazareth, she was known for her modern interpretations of traditional Palestinian folk songs and poetry, reviving stories at risk of being lost due to Israeli erasure of her people’s culture.

Banna’s musical career began in the 1980s, her voice bringing hope to Palestinians in the occupied territories living under a relentless military campaign. By the 2000s she was known across the world by Palestinians and non-Palestinians alike as a cultural icon. First and foremost an artist led by principles, Banna denied numerous lucrative contract offers to work on projects that failed to acknowledge Israel’s crimes against her people, refusing to compromise her commitment to uplifting the Palestinian struggle. Peace would not come at the expense of justice, no matter how profitable. Her album April Blossoms was dedicated to Palestinian children, and The Mirrors of My Soul was dedicated to all Palestinian Prisoners. Her music explored themes of love, childhood, homeland, freedom, and revolution.  

Banna produced 13 albums. Though breast cancer claimed her life in 2018, the music she left behind continues the work of resistance, unstoppable by neither Apartheid Wall, military checkpoint, nor gun-toting soldier.

Ancestors of Palestinian Liberation is a collaboration of Anemoia Projects and Palestine Advocacy Project 

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Original image reference: Kirkelig Kulturverksted