One-part comedy routine, one-part slam poetry and all Palestinian advocacy. This is the recipe for Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian activist and poet who spoke at American University Students for Justice in Palestine’s final event for Israel Apartheid Week on March 2.
“I think I’m funny but I’m not, so bear with me,” Kanazi said. “The poetry I promise will passionate or angry or something.”
Kanazi started writing poetry in college. After 9/11, he faced a lot of hatred from “white kids” since he is Palestinian.
“I knew they were wrong, but I couldn’t explain why,” Kanazi said.
Kanazi split his poems between being “funny” and being “angry,” but most of the “funny” ones were “written so angrily they had to be funny.”
For example, one poem called “The Dos and Don’ts of Palestine,” dripping with sarcasm, listed all of the ways Palestinians are expected to restrict their speech, such as not talking about the Holocaust or a one-state solution.
Most of Kanazi’s poems are unabashed, like “Before the Machetes are Raised,” where he starts by saying, “I’m disgusted by terrorism, backwards animals who have no value for human life.” But in a twist, Kanazi starts talking about the Israeli Defense Force’s treatment of Palestinians.
After his formal presentation, Kanazi answered questions about Palestinian activism, signed copies of his book and chatted with attendees, who had applauded energetically after every poem.
“Especially for Palestinains,” he said. “I think it’s important that our stories are told and they’re told from Palestinians.”
