Actor Ramy Youssef recently said the words “Free Palestine” on live television as part of his Saturday Night Live monologue. And Oscar-winning film director Jonathan Glazer used his acceptance speech to denounce the use of Judaism to justify the genocide in Gaza.
The issue of justice for Palestine has not always been welcomed in the arts. But, as Youssef and Glazer demonstrated, the tide is slowly turning. Part of that tide is the reissue of a protest song performed in 1972 by Egyptian-born Palestinian singer Zeinab Shaath.
The master copy of the song, called “The Urgent Call of Palestine” was thought to be lost to Israeli theft for decades. Writing about its resurrection at In These Times is Iman Husain, a writer, artist, and fact-checker based in Brooklyn, New York. She spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the fascinating story behind Shaath’s song.