The Nakba and Palestinian Refugees > Comments > "Review of The Nakba and Palestinian Refugees"
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Commenter Profile
- michele ernsting
- Username: ernsting
- Location: amsterdam, Netherlands
- Joined PRX: Feb 12, 2004
Piece Information
- " The Nakba and Palestinian Refugees"
- Summary: Ashraf interviews Um Sameeh, his grandmother, who tells the story of her experience during the 1948 Nakba.
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Review of The Nakba and Palestinian Refugees
michele ernsting
Posted on October 06, 2005 at 06:40 AM
The Nakba (the term Palestinians use to describe the 1948 Arab/Israeli war) is a crucial event which has had enormous influence on world events, as such, it's a story which deserves attention. Unfortunately I think this report fails to add to our understanding of this event.
First of all, any story on such a complex subject requires some context, and even though these pieces are only 6 minutes, there was room at the top to do that.
Secondly it's imperative to give an accurate description of the historical events and the roles of the many different participants. Painting this as a Jewish/Palestinian Black/White story is incorrect and does not help the listener to understand this tragedy.
The speakers are eloquent in their description of their hardships, but the reporter must then step back to a position of neutrality.
I would also be very interested to hear more details of people's lives in the refugee camps. These details help listeners identify with the speakers. A more nuanced approach can only add to the power of the piece.
Also, the audio levels in the two items I listened to were all over the place and sometimes speakers were inaudible as a result.
The music could be toned down and used more sparingly.
Again, this is an important issue; I would like to hear more about it. I hope these producers continue to explore this perspective, but with a more thorough journalistic approach.