WHEN I RETURN–A collective celebration of hope and promise

By uspcn Published: May 3, 2011

 

We are pleased to invite you to participate in When I Return, a US Palestinian Community Network initiative aiming to highlight community and collective aspirations for the freedom and liberation of Palestine.

When I Return is an online viral participatory campaign featuring simple notes by Palestinians, Arabs and allies describing what they hope to do when they return to Palestine.

When I Return intends to unleash the Nakba’s daily resonance, as not only a vanishing point in a past to be commemorated, but a persistent moment binding us to our past, our present and to each other. In this project, we hope to take part in reviving the celebratory and revolutionary spirit that has always been a part of the Palestinian national struggle, working against all odds, bolstered by our collective will to always resist, always dream. In this year of revolutionary hope and change, now more than ever, we know, as we have always known, Palestine will be free.

This project asks you, for just a moment, to take liberation for granted, and to think of your first day after liberation. What will you do? Where will you go? What will you be dreaming of next?

The project cannot work without your participation. We are inviting a select group of Palestinian, Arab and ally scholars, community organizers, artists and activists, of all ages, to submit their own contributions for the launch.

In order to contribute to this project, please send us a statement in whatever medium you choose, video, audio, text, musical piece or artwork, in Arabic, English or Spanish, that completes or addresses either of two statements:

“When I return to Palestine, I will…”

or

“When Palestine is liberated, I will…”

It can, but need not be, somber; the joys of liberty and freedom can be as mundane, funny or as profound as you wish.

Please submit to: whenireturn@palestineconference.org.

In your submission, please indicate:
1) Your first and/or last name (however you would like to be featured)
2) Your current location
3) If you are Palestinian, your town/village of origin.

In order to be ready for the launch, please submit your contribution by May 10, 2011.
Campaign launch will be on May 14, 2011.
Your contribution will be featured on a website that will launch on May 14, 2011. A viral campaign will also begin on Twitter (#whenireturn), as well as Facebook. Submissions to both will be fed into the website.
Statements are currently being collected from Palestinians all over the world. A member of the initiative is currently working on video footage in refugee camps, and another is interviewing Nakba survivors in the United States.

We look forward to your participation!
Kindest regards,

Ryah Aqel and Andrew Dalack
‘When I Return’

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian