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114 7 Realities for a Singer in Palestine Reem Talhami interviewed by Heather Bursheh Originally from Shafa"amr in the north of 1948 Palestine, but for many years living in Jerusalem, Reem Talhami has a successful career as a singer and actor in Palestine. She is currently in the process of producing an album, and in this interview Reem details her background and current life as a singer, as well as the process of producing an album from scratch in Palestine, from the initial thought process and decisions about the theme of the work to the thorny issue of funding. Heather Bursheh: Can you give me some background about the practicalities of being a singer in Palestine? Reem Talhami: For as long as I remember, singing has been a challenge for me. From the beginning, I faced social pressures and prohibitions regarding standing on stage and performing other singers’ pieces. I found myself fighting against people over my own dream, including my family, extended family, neighbors and acquaintances. Their main claims were basically either social—musicians are seen as socially flawed—or economic, as in “art does not provide bread.” HB: Was there anyone that supported you in your dream? RT: Of course, there were some friends and teachers who believed in me and in my dream, and those had a great effect on my personality and in believing in me and my decisions later on. Also, friends that I have met outside my hometown Shafa"amr, filled me with confidence and made me stronger. Through the years, I was invited to sing in so many different places, and I remember feeling so proud and happy to read my name in the newspapers, even though in small letters. But I surrendered for a time, for some years after high school, and tried to do things in the way of people that were pres- Realities for a Singer in Palestine | 115 suring me, but that showed later on its futility. It was a waste of time and years of effort. My decision to go back to school, and this time by my own rules, came in 1991 when I decided to start my singing and music studies at the Academy for Music and Dance in West Jerusalem. HB: Had you given up singing before that point, or were you singing on an amateur level? RT: I was singing on an amateur level. I never gave up singing, in fact. When I say “I surrendered for a time,” it means that I accepted to leave art aside for a while and head to another direction in life, and keep music as a hobby. You see, I had to leave my town and start my academic studies. Of course, my choice was music and singing, but my family did not think the same. I surrendered by choosing to study social work instead of music. So I tried. Through my two and a half years of studying social work, I realized that I was wasting time and efforts. My decision to quit social work and go back to Shafa"amr almost killed my mother. These days were so hard, and I had to prove, first to myself and then to others, that this is not the end of the road, and that I will be going back to study music some day. Someday came very fast, in fact after only one year, and now I know better. Being in Jerusalem at the beginning of the first Intifada [uprising], in 1987, gave other meanings to my music and the issues I wanted to address. The great emotional and national feelings that I was going through, especially coming from the north of 1948 Palestine, carrying the Israeli ID and being called an Israeli passport holder, filled my songs with a weird taste of sadness, sorrow, melancholy, grief, and slowness. Facing all that in the new, strange big city shifted my goal. In fact, my goal became obvious to me. I could feel the tension around and feel the effect of songs over the crowds, both in concert halls and demonstrations. The picture became clearer and my dream started taking shape. Ghurbaih [expatriation/foreignness], was the first group that I was part of. The group was established in 1988 and didn’t last long. However, we managed to work on some pieces and perform them in public. Lyrics were taken from famous poets such as Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qassem, Rashid Hussain, and Tawfiq Zayyad. Music was...

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