Mission Statement
Laila
Welcome to Diaspora Palestine. The purpose of this website is to promote Palestinian culture, identity, and traditions, as well as demonstrate how they have been understood and adapted within the diaspora. As a Palestinian whose family has lived in Gaza, the West Bank, the US, Egypt, Germany, Turkey, and Dubai, which is where I was born and raised, I have learned to appreciate the common ground I share with my peers and familial members, as well as the differences. It is important to me that they understand my differences as well. Proficient in both modern standard Arabic, Palestinian Arabic, and French, I am fascinated by the lone words, vernacular, and nuances that create another layer to understanding a community of human beings. My love for language, literature, and the arts stems from my ancestral roots in Palestine.
My father was born in Palestine, moved to Saudi Arabia as a baby, then to Ottawa, Canada, and finally settled in Dubai. My mother was born in Palestine, moved to Saudi Arabia at the age of two, then to the Boston area, Massachusetts, at the age of 12, and then settled in Dubai.
The age at which my parents immigrated and arrived in Dubai created a vastly different diasporic experience. Both my parents share stories that, in ways, are foreign to me. Their experiences prompted me to introduce the global community of my generation to the stories, customs, traditions, and challenges in a way that we will never find in a textbook. It’s easier to capture history on a textbook page than it is to capture feelings, longings, personal stories, and heuristics for surviving. I hope that these interviews, customs, linguistic modifications, and narratives can provide a bit more life and breath to the diasporic Palestinian experience.
I also hope this platform provides a place for these experiences to rest. At the end of the day, everything comes into focus and comes out again.
Diaspora Palestine will provide a window into the cultural and language nuances for Palestinians living in the diaspora, as well as a voice for the Palestinian diaspora so that we can share our stories and perspectives about home so they are not lost to time. Simultaneously, we can share our experiences from wherever home is at the moment.
Discover Diaspora Palestine
Literature
Literature
For decades literature has been used as a mechanism for Palestinian voices to be propelled. Serving as a platform for authors to represent their longing for home, reflecting on life, love, and nature. As well as what makes them Palestinian, in a world that denies their heritage.
Interviews
Literature
Discover the community offered within the Palestinian Diaspora,
Tatreez
Cultural Communication
Tatreez: The art of Palestinian embroidery, utilized to demonstrate our lives, culture and nature.
Cultural Communication
Cultural Communication
(Etiquette),(Cultural differences)(Family hosting)(Slang)
Culture
(Dance),(Cuisine),(Holidays)
Celebrations/Rites of passage