Arts and Culture 20 November 2015
Gaza’s Revolution Makers, brothers Osama and Mohammed Elsusi
Gaza-based hip-hop artists Revolution Makers, brothers Osama and Mohammed Elsusi, have released this new track featuring Ahmad Murad.
Gaza is full of young men and women bursting with ambition, talent and creativity.
This song, “Shadeyna al-heil” (Tightening our Strength), salutes the resilience and resistance of Palestinians.
But it also evokes a desire for normality that would allow people to fulfill their personal and artistic potential: “Every day we hope for a new day without a storm, so we can harvest our thwarted dreams and release our steadfast ambitions.”
It is a song that recognizes that battle and resistance has been imposed on a people that wants what all humans yearn for: “We want to live our lives as free people, not slaves.”
It speaks about the pressure to emigrate as conditions worsen, and the refusal – based in hope and faith – to do so.
The YouTube video is subtitled in English – though they can be a little hard to see against the dark background, the words are legible.I first heard Revolution Makers when I saw them perform live in Gaza City in May 2013 and have appreciated their work ever since.
It is an affirmation that art is no luxury; it is a necessity of life.
