Just describing the mix of nationalities involved in Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said’s orchestra is a disputed territory in and of itself. They pull together people from Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Spain, and several other un-named countries. This orchestra was created so that, one the gift of music could be fostered and two, to provide a forum where these kids from all around the Arab and non-Arab world could interact. Sometimes, one can hear the tension of these interactions as in the case of when an Israeli/Palestinian man and a Lebanese man were being interviewed. The Israeli/Palestinian man mentioned that he believes peace is possible to which the Lebanese man became clearly agitated and stormed out of the interview. At one point, one of the young men talked about the transition from the beginning where everyone is just meeting each other and somewhat wary of each other to becoming the closest of friends. This is clearly shown in the camaraderie between everyone in the orchestra. This camaraderie is clearly seen towards the end of the documentary when the Israeli members of the orchestra arrive at Ramallah for the morning rehearsal and they are greeted with laughter, and smiles, and hugs. There is openness between the Arab and European members of the orchestra who were allowed to travel to Ramallah earlier and the Israeli members who had to go through a greater ordeal to get there. Of all the ethnoscapes, it was when the orchestra was playing was my favorite. When they are playing, all of the individual instruments contribute to the greater cause of creating a harmony. All socioeconomic, political, and ethnic tensions fade away in the face of this common and goal, and the result is beautiful. People from warring countries are able to sit next to one another peacefully. They are able to transcend from their state’s problems and connect with each other on a personal level. As one of the young men interviewed said of the orchestra, “It is communication between the people not the governments.”
Taylor Roberts
ReplyDeleteInt’l Stds 501
1:30-3:18
Knowledge is the Beginning
Just describing the mix of nationalities involved in Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said’s orchestra is a disputed territory in and of itself. They pull together people from Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Spain, and several other un-named countries. This orchestra was created so that, one the gift of music could be fostered and two, to provide a forum where these kids from all around the Arab and non-Arab world could interact. Sometimes, one can hear the tension of these interactions as in the case of when an Israeli/Palestinian man and a Lebanese man were being interviewed. The Israeli/Palestinian man mentioned that he believes peace is possible to which the Lebanese man became clearly agitated and stormed out of the interview. At one point, one of the young men talked about the transition from the beginning where everyone is just meeting each other and somewhat wary of each other to becoming the closest of friends. This is clearly shown in the camaraderie between everyone in the orchestra. This camaraderie is clearly seen towards the end of the documentary when the Israeli members of the orchestra arrive at Ramallah for the morning rehearsal and they are greeted with laughter, and smiles, and hugs. There is openness between the Arab and European members of the orchestra who were allowed to travel to Ramallah earlier and the Israeli members who had to go through a greater ordeal to get there. Of all the ethnoscapes, it was when the orchestra was playing was my favorite. When they are playing, all of the individual instruments contribute to the greater cause of creating a harmony. All socioeconomic, political, and ethnic tensions fade away in the face of this common and goal, and the result is beautiful. People from warring countries are able to sit next to one another peacefully. They are able to transcend from their state’s problems and connect with each other on a personal level. As one of the young men interviewed said of the orchestra, “It is communication between the people not the governments.”