Whiteflag Project
| Whiteflag Project | |
|---|---|
| Origin |
Israel Palestine |
| Genres | World music |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
Phonag Records Jazzis Records |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
Mark Smulian Gani Tamir Zaher Abdul Jawad Arli Liberman Aaron Shneyer Katja Cooper |
| Past members |
Shadi Alhaj Yassin Hussein |
Whiteflag Project (formerly known as Whiteflag) is a band of Jewish musicians from Israel and Arab musicians from the Gaza Strip.[1][2] They are a one of a kind 'world fusion' band formed within the most conflicting areas of the Middle East – Israel and Palestine. Their songs are sung in the band members' native tongues of Arabic, Hebrew and English. Their collaboration as a band has endured many political difficulties as a result of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Biography
Since their formation 1998 Whiteflag Project have performed in various international festivals[3] and concerts. Their existence as a band has demonstrated that music can unite people of different cultural and political backgrounds that are in conflict with one another.
In 2005 the documentary[4] Playing With the Enemy was released on the band[5] and in 2008 they were featured in the book Holy Land Mosaic: Stories Of Cooperation And Coexistence Between Israelis And Palestinians.[6]
Exile
Since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 and the political circumstances surrounding the region their performances have since been significantly reduced and the band members are only able to play and rehearse outside the borders of the Middle East[7] – hence the name evolving from 'Whiteflag' to 'Whiteflag Project.' Despite each band member's commitment to one another, Whiteflag Project's existence has since forced two of the Palestinian members from Gaza into exile, with the Palestinian members residing in Switzerland and the United States.[8] The remaining Whiteflag Project members reside on either side of the border in Israel and Gaza.
History
| Year | Appearances |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Tour of East Coast of US Universities |
| 2008 | Creation of Peace Festival, Kazan, Russia |
| 2008 | Amnesty International[9] Performance |
| 2006 | Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland |
| Playing With The Enemy Documentary[10] Released worldwide | |
| 2005 | Switzerland Tour – Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre |
| Playing With The Enemy Documentary Broadcast on Swiss National TV | |
| 2000–2005 | Intifada outbreak – Silence |
| 2000 | Performance at the Bereshit festival Israel |
Discography
| Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Talk [11] | Jazzis Records |
| 2005 | Exile[12] | Phonag Records |
References
- ↑ "Carrying the flag for Middle East fusion". swissinfo.ch. 2005-07-15. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
- ↑ "La 'bandera blanca' Palestina-Israelí". elmundo.es. 2009-05-21. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
- ↑ "Kazan hosts peace festival — RT". Rt.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑ "info_frame". Interkulturforum.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑ ":: Abrahami – Netz Productions ::". Antv.nl. January 8, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑ Holy land mosaic: stories of ... – Daniel Gavron – Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑ "WhiteFlag – virtualWOMEX". Womex.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑
- ↑ "White Flag Embraces Music and Peace". Fearless and Loathing. December 9, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑
- ↑ "Jazzis Web Shop – The World's Finest On-Line Music Boutique!". Jazzis.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Exile: White Flag: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. September 9, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2012.