A song of existence: Mohammed Assaf’s “Dammi Falastini” and rebellion against colonization

Mohammed Assaf, photo by Ibrahim Alalami

A simple song can be integral to a culture, becoming almost second nature to those who value it. Mohammed Assaf’s “Dammi Falastini” is as natural and essential to Palestinians as “Happy Birthday.” 

Assaf grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza, living under the ongoing military occupation of Palestine by the state of Israel. He often sang at weddings in the community and later attended Palestine University. Most notably, he traveled to Egypt in 2013 to audition for MBC’s Arab Idol, an international singing competition. Having arrived late to the audition after begging and bribing the Egyptian border security, Assaf literally jumped over walls to get inside the audition hall. Once inside, he was told no more audition numbers would be handed out. After refusing to give up and head home, another Palestinian contestant heard Assaf practicing and forfeited him his ticket, saying that Assaf had the potential to reach the final. Just like that, Assaf went on to win Arab Idol and the hearts of many, proudly representing Palestine on a global stage. 

Assaf’s humble beginnings resonate deeply with Palestinians everywhere and his 2015 song “Dammi Falastini,” meaning “my blood is Palestinian,” is a ballad of both Palestinian existence and resistance.

Palestinian martyr Fares Udah, 13, throws stones at an Israeli tank in 2000. Photo by Laurent Rebours, Associated Press.

Israel’s army, funded with billions of dollars in U.S. aid annually, uphold and perpetuate the illegal occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people. A testament to the sheer disparity in power, a common motif of Palestinian resistance is that of throwing stones at Israeli tanks and soldiers. Children and civilians throw pebbles to deter the Israeli military, despite its bulletproof vests and assault rifles. Since the Nakba (the Catastrophe) in 1948, in which upwards of 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and made refugees, white Jewish settlers of the Zionist movement formed the state of Israel on land stolen from Palestinians, whom they hope to eradicate. Today, Israel is an ethno-state, a nation built on the foundation of ethnicity and runs on an apartheid system, in which Palestinians living in Israeli-occupied territories are second-class citizens, with segregated courts and roads. 

While “Dammi Falastini” doesn’t call for riots or outline any specific call to action, it is an act of resistance. Assaf confidently announces the heritage of the Palestinian bloodline which cannot be erased, even by the occupier’s relentless efforts. Accompanied by loud bagpipes and proud drumming, Assaf’s simple but powerful lyrics are chilling in the context of the 75 years of violent and persistent dispossession faced by Palestinian people, and the 75 years of consequent struggle; “I’m Palestinian, a son of a free family / I’m brave and my head is held high / I’m keeping my oath to you, my homeland / And I have never bowed to anyone.”

Played at weddings, parties, and even protests, Assaf’s “Dammi Falastini” is often paired with dabke, a traditional dance native to the Levant. It has cemented itself as part of the soundtrack of the Palestinian resistance, and subsequently of Palestinian culture as a whole.

Mohammed Assaf (right) on MBC’s Arab Idol, via Enigma Magazine

“Dammi Falastini” is not the first to serve as an anti-colonial anthem for marginalized peoples. Considered one of the first songs to hold a politically explicit message in the mainstream is Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” (1939), a mournful ode to the victims of slavery and the horrific mass lynchings of Black Americans. Forming the roots of the civil rights movement, Holiday’s live performances of “Strange Fruit” were an act of protest in and of itself as she put herself in danger to deliver the song. In apartheid-era South Africa, Strike Vilakazi wrote “Meadowlands” (1956), popularized abroad by anti-colonial singer and musician Miriam Makeba; the song was written in protest of the forced relocation of 60,000 Sophiatown residents to a settlement town called Meadowlands. The partially Tsotsitaal lyrics, which translate to “we are not leaving \ we’re staying right here,” embody the spirit of resistance to settler colonialism and occupied lands. Across the Arab world, communities show their support for the Palestinian resistance as well; Egyptian artist Umm Kulthum sings Nizar Qabbani’s mournful poem “A Sole Path,” which speaks to the soulful and painful experience of fighting for the freedom of Palestinians; “twenty years I have been searching for a land and an identity,” he writes, “I lay on thorn and dust, and I wear death / I’m with and among revolutionaries, ever since I carried a gun to search for my childhood.”

Bella Hadid at protest, via Instagram @bellahadid

With so many human rights issues globally, very few platformed artists or celebrities speak for Palestine. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, though, is one of the few mainstream musicians who have risked their careers to consistently speak out against the injustices. Similarly, supermodel Bella Hadid, of Palestinian and Dutch heritage, has made very clear across interviews and endless Instagram posts that she will not be silenced by Zionists, even if it means losing brand deals and support. “I’ve had so many companies that stopped working with me,” Hadid said in a Rep podcast, describing the repercussions on her career by calling out the occupation, and told GQ “I’m so lucky and blessed that I’m in a position where I can speak out the way that I do. And really, the downfall is what? That I lose my job?”

When it comes to the human rights issues in Palestine, many turn a blind eye; this is a damning result of the interests and propaganda of global superpowers, islamophobia, and white supremacy. Irish lawmaker Richard Boyd Barrett pressingly called out the hypocrisy of the West’s swift support for Ukraine while nations neglect Palestine; “you’re happy to correctly use the most strong and robust language to describe the crimes against humanity of Vladimir Putin,” he stated, “but you will not use that same strength of language when it comes to describing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, when it is now being documented and detailed by… the most well-respected human rights organizations in the world.” 

It becomes evident, within the context of a persistent and uphill struggle against violent settler colonialism and white supremacy, why “Dammi Falastini” is a cultural staple and is in itself an act of rebellion. When the oppressor is actively ethnic cleansing and erasing the history and identity of Palestinians, merely existing as a Palestinian is a politicized action. Irrespective of redrawn borders, years of detainment without trial, or 400 miles of apartheid walls, Assaf sings “my blood is Palestinian.” That fact is undeniable, and cannot be changed.

I will not be signing my real name in avoidance of Canary Mission, an organization which vilifies, blacklists, and doxes Palestinians and Palestinian rights activists, typically college students, for speaking out against the settler state of Israel. The organization attacks individuals for spreading awareness on the Israeli apartheid and denouncing Israel’s illegal occupation of historic Palestine. The B-Side will not hesitate to actively stand against settler colonialism and genocide.

Article by V

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