Column Basman Elderawi
Her Palestinian thobe
She is standing in front of the mirror. Her name is Falastine. Her father named her over his
country. A country he has never seen by his eyes yet he tastes it inside his heart. Sometimes she
wonders how can a person love something he/she has never seen? Joy is in her heart. Ignoring
the sound of pain in her chest that sneaks to her heart. She takes a deep breath and closes her
eyes. She wears the heritage of her grandmother, her Palestinian thobe. Her father always tells
her how she looks like her grandma. She is strong like her. She is a teacher. Her father is always
proud of her, open to her choices.
At the next street a girl was beaten by her father for visiting her divorced mother. But her dad never beats her. He always treats her the same as her brother maybe because he was raised by a strong woman. Still standing in front of the mirror. .. independent brown woman. She puts her hand over the front´s sewing of her thobe. She is touching the history of her village. A history hidden between Jaffa and Haifa.
The art of occupied Palestine – Palestinian-Jordanian artist – credit painting Salam Kanaan Arts
Every Palestinian thobe has an identity as they come from different village, or area with
different colour, smell of culture and history. Her mother used to tell her, before she passed away
that she looks like her grandmother. She couldn’t physically see her country yet she sees her
through her parents´ stories, her name and her grandmother´s Palestinian thobe.
different colour, smell of culture and history. Her mother used to tell her, before she passed away
that she looks like her grandmother. She couldn’t physically see her country yet she sees her
through her parents´ stories, her name and her grandmother´s Palestinian thobe.
Whenever she is in the thobe, she can smell her grandmother and her mother as she used to
wear it too. The thobe is her legacy. While she is in the thobe, she feels her mother is holding
her hand just the same way she did when she used to take her to school. Her mother was a
teacher, maybe that’s why she loves teaching so much. Her mother taught her that beauty
doesn’t hurt all the time and has no certain standard as long as you love yourself and accept
that flaws are part of who you are as a person and work on them, needs of acceptance in the first
place. Taught her to stand in front of the mirror with pride. Her pride of heritage, colour, and gender. A pride which can beat a white person’s, a man’s and the occupier’s superiority. She told her that her name is Falastine (means Palestine in Arabic) and she should stand strong and true like Palestine.
“women of Jerusalem dancing 2020 ” credit painting is “Praying – Ramallah” (2020) Palestinian Painter Rawan Anani
She is standing in front of the mirror, touching the robes and the sewing of the thobe like touching the map
of Palestine. Like the past and the present are met at one point. She wears her thobe and is ready
to face the world with all the truth of her homeland. She is dressed up like a Palestinian princess
and goes to a Palestinian traditional wedding, her friend´s wedding.
About the author:
Basman Derawi is Palestinian, was born in Kuwait and lived there for two years before coming to Gaza. He is a physiotherapist for the Ministry of Health in Gaza. He thinks of writing as space where he can escape, the best place where he can feel free. He writes in both Arabic and English. He began drafting stories and poems few years ago and is inspired by his questions, music, movies and people with special needs. One of his dreams as a Palestinian is to share and show Palestinians’ real faces as they struggle and work for their rights. He also loves to read, cook, and play video games and basketball.
Basman Derawi is Palestinian, was born in Kuwait and lived there for two years before coming to Gaza. He is a physiotherapist for the Ministry of Health in Gaza. He thinks of writing as space where he can escape, the best place where he can feel free. He writes in both Arabic and English. He began drafting stories and poems few years ago and is inspired by his questions, music, movies and people with special needs. One of his dreams as a Palestinian is to share and show Palestinians’ real faces as they struggle and work for their rights. He also loves to read, cook, and play video games and basketball.
