Momina Amjad Candidate Number: 002223-0028 Session: May 2014 English A1: Language and Literature Written Task 1 Unit Text type(s) Purpose

Audience Context

Word count

Rationale Written Task

Language and Culture A print ad and a blog post To demonstrate the contrasting viewpoints in the Palestinian-Israeli narrative, discuss cultural identity in depth, resistance, and other themes The general American public in the 1834 demographic. A hummus ad claiming it to be Israeli food causes controversy, a Palestinian activist and blogger criticizes that ad campaign 298 990

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Rationale: In this Language and Culture unit, we learned extensively about the importance of cultural context in understanding language, and consequently, how a reader’s interpretation of a text determines the meaning that text has. We mainly studied that via analyzing ments; ment campaigns use advertising techniques and persuasive language whilst being culturally sensitive to appeal to their audiences. I hope to demonstrate these skills in the first text I’ve created; an American print advert for hummus which claims that it is Israeli food. It is implied that this ad created controversy among the Palestinian and Arab community in America. The second text is a popular blog post by a Palestinian activist criticizing the hummus advert. I discuss the larger themes of cultural identity and national heritage when this fictional blogger dismisses said advert completely on the basis of it being cultural appropriation and theft of the Palestinian identity. The design of the blog as a whole displays themes of resistance, anti-colonialism and struggle against apartheid, all of which constitute an important part of the Palestinian narrative. The format allows me to be expressive of the various facets of Palestinian resistance such as art, music and literature, as well as different cultural and sociopolitical viewpoints via a subsequent comments section; illustrating how people’s social or cultural background has an influence on what they have to say. By juxtaposing these two texts together, I aim to highlight the inevitability of bias and subjectivity in the media and literature of people in conflicts such as the PalestinianIsraeli one. This was my focus because it elaborates the impact of culture on language as well as the impact of language in the assembling of a political movement. I have attached a mini-glossary at the end for some of the italicized words in the text.

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Whether you eat it as a dip, a sauce or an appetizer, Savra’s Hummus provides you with the fresh and fine Israeli delicacy all the way in America. A unique blend of the east and the west awaits you at your nearest grocery store!

Savra Truly savory

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From you steel and fire, from us our flesh. From you yet another tank, from us stones. So leave our country, our land, our sea, our wheat, our salt, our wounds –

Mahmoud Darwish

Falasteeni

‫فلسطيني‬

Why Savra’s latest ad campaign offended so many Palestinians 1 March 2013

A recent hummus ad by Savra shows the ‘Israeli delicacy’ in the midst of American crackers and talks about unique blends of the east and the west. Most of you reading this post are already thinking something along the lines of, “Okay, what’s so wrong with that that? Agreed that hummus is probably not an Israeli delicacy per se, but can’t we just appreciate people crossing borders and learning to love the enemy’s food? Why are all the Arab students across college campuses in the States going crazy about this non-issue?” The problem is not so much about them appreciating and accepting our food. The problem is that when you steal a people’s land, when you steal their sense of belonging, or try to wipe out their history, they hold an unmeasurable importance to their sense of cultural identity. Culture is an umbrella term for a lot of things, the shared attitudes of people, their behaviors well as their material traits, such as dress code and the cuisine. Ah! Cuisine. It is no secret that hummus, along with tabouleh, falafel and olive oil, forms a quintessential part of the Arabic cuisine. No mezze is complete without these small dishes in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria or Palestine. Yes, hummus is not unique to Palestine, but it has long been a staple food for Palestinians, often served warm with bread, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So why all this anger for something that isn’t even

Layla Jabbari Palestinian American culture and politics enthusiast with a special interest in postcolonial and gender studies. ¡Viva la Revolución!

Follow me on Twitter @Layla_Jabbari

Recent Posts “My family is living through hell:” hunger striker Samer Issawi speaks from jail Weddings in Ramallah: A memory Now Reading

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distinctively Palestinian? The thing is, hummus is only a symbol. It represents a lot more about the stolen Palestinian identity and its people’s frustrations.

Tunes of resistance from Palestine and beyond

It is the lost olive culture and the Palestinian farmers who were no longer able to collect their olive harvest after the Nakba. We know from an Electronic Intifada article that some of the remaining olive farmers are regularly attacked by the Zionist settler population when they attempt to care for their trees or harvest them in B’Tselem and Al Khalil (Hebron). Falafels are now an Israeli ‘National Dish’. This kind of cultural appropriation is by no means limited to food and agriculture. It is evident in the linguistic imperialism of Hebrew over Arabic in all the academic institutions and workplaces in Israel. It is the suppression of Arab literary figures in Israel because they offer voices of dissent. It is calling the Keffiyeh a terrorist garb. And it affects Palestinians so much more than it seems. Apart from the aforementioned cultural concerns, the main reason why Savra caused such widespread controversy among the Palestinian and Arab-American community is because it was found out that its parent company, The Stoche Group, is one of the funders of the IDF. The so called Israeli Defense Force, IDF is a terrorist organization responsible for killing and torturing Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza on a daily basis. All of this is well documented on Aljazeera, Ali Abunimah’s blog and other news sites. Also as a consequence of having hummus mass produced by companies like Savra, the already minimal economic opportunities for people in the occupied Palestine plunge even lower as their food products don’t even begin to surface in the international markets. So to sum it all up, by buying and eating Savra’s hummus (and other products), you are not only capitalizing upon a people’s stolen identity and minimizing the their economic opportunities, you are also funding their apartheid and torture. That to me sounds like a very valid reason for those people to be furious. So please, reject the gooey mush Savra calls hummus. It’s nothing like the real stuff. Boycott Savra and all their products. And spread the word around. The BDS campaign needs you.

Shadia Mansour is the female rapper American music lacks. The lucidity of her anger and the ion in her lyrics revives my Palestinian spirit. See more under ‘Arts and Culture’

Tags: SAVRA STOCHEGROUP HUMMUS APARTHEID PALESTINE ISRAEL

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Moshe I’m sorry, but this is a load of BS. There is no Palestinian identity! You’re all a bunch of Arabs with similar customs and cuisine. I have to it that hummus is tasty, and it’s kosher, so we all love it. Savra made a mistake, there’s no need to get melodramatic about it lady. 6 Likes | Reply Maria So this is an innocent mistake? How do you explain Stoche Group funding your terrorism? Zionists and their logic is unbelievable. Do you think we’re stupid? 4 Likes | Reply Moche Stoche Group is not even Savra, it’s ONE of their parent companies, and who they donate their charity to doesn’t matter. Stop getting so emotional at every damn thing. 1 Like | Reply Maria This comment violated Falateeni’s community standards

David Thank for this post, Layla. It’s unfortunate that our consumerism funds your suffering, and I’m sure it’s not just Savra. The other day I read about Starbucks’ Chairman Howard Schultz being a staunch Zionist and ing Israel’s apartheid. Not enough people currently know about the BDS movement.  10 Likes | Reply

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Glossary: BDS campaign: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a global campaign which uses economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the stated goals of the movement: The end of Israeli occupation and colonization of Arab land, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and respect for the right of return of Palestinian refugees1. Kefiyyeh: Various types of Middle Eastern headdresses for men- the one referred to in the blog is the Palestinian variant which is typically black and white and has become a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Mezze: A selection of small dishes served at the beginning of all large scale meals in Levantine cuisines2. Comparable to appetizers. Nakba: The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (literally "disaster", "catastrophe", or "cataclysm") occurred when approximately 711,000 to 726,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes3. Tabouleh: A Levantine Arab salad traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, and garlic and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt4.

Images Used: [1] Group Recipes. Goat Cheese Hummus. Digital image 2013. Web. 2 Mar 2013 http://www.grouprecipes.com/85433/goat-cheese-hummus.html# [2] Paq, Anne. Graffiti, Separation Wall; Bethlehem, 16.01.2011. Digital image 2012. Web. 2 Mar 2013 http://chroniquespalestine.blogspot.com/2012/01/graffiti-separation-wall-bethlehem.html [3] Ridz Design. Shadia Mansour. Digital image 2010. Web. 2 Mar 2013 http://www.last.fm/music/Shadia+Mansour/+images/44021385

Articles Cited: [1] Olive harvest once again marred by settler violence. 7 December. 2005. Web. 2 Mar 2013. http://electronicintifada.net/content/olive-harvest-once-again-marred-settler-violence/2274

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Svirsky, Marcelo. Arab-Jewish activism in Israel-Palestine. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate, 2012. Print. Davidson, Alan. The Oxford companion to food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print. 3 Mcdowall, David. The Palestinians. London: Minority Rights Group, 1987. Print. 4 Zubaida, Sami. Culinary cultures of the Middle East. London [u.a.]: Tauris, 1994. Print 2