Despite Eskom’s load-shedding and a few technical issues, Jerusalem-based archeologist and activist Abeer Zayyad brought a message of hope and fortitude when she presented a talk at the South End Museum on Tuesday evening.
Armed with a master’s degree in archaeology and a current PhD student, Zayyad, an expert in the history of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and an advocate for human rights, said it was important to remember who you were as a person and where you came from to protect that which you held dear.
After touring major cities across SA this month during her latest trip, Zayyad presented an virtual educational tour of Palestine and its people through personal experiences while illustrating the daily strife many experience daily.
Not shy of saying it as it is, Zayyad, who grew up mainly in the Old City of Jerusalem, said one had to be crazy to live in an area as controversial as her birthplace.
“A normal person cannot live in Jerusalem with what is going on there. Only crazy people can live there [and] there is nothing normal about Palestine,” she said.
Commenting on the issue of load-shedding, Zayyad said in her home territory there were two main concerns — either you stay in an area with no electricity or one with no water.
“You have your own problems and your own struggles,” Zayyad said.
Having spent time behind bars and even solitary confinement for standing up for what she believes in, Zayyad said there was always a motivation in her to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque, her country, its people and its history.
“We are the naked people and we are not going to leave our country,” she said.
“It is better for us to stay home and be killed than leave and never return.”
Punted as an educational campaign and hosted in partnership between Salaamedia and CANDRA, Zayyad’s tour highlighted the importance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in light of events unfolding in Palestine with the hope of creating awareness.
In her presentation she discussed the sociopolitical and humanitarian conditions of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, while highlighting the historic awareness of Jerusalem and, in particular, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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