Leonard Cohen concert in Ramallah

[UrPal]

I expect if I were an artist who'd been on the road presenting himself to a uniformly loyal (nay, adulatory) constituency of fans for a couple of years I'd probably find it a refreshing challenge to play before a crowd of the uninitiated, and even potentially hostile, for a change. And Cohen has played a few festival dates already to a predominently young crowd inexperienced in his music and triumphed at several - Glastonbury, Big Chill, Coachella etc. And he's always had an unconventional streak too - in terms of that gig at a psychiatric hospital pre-Isle Of Wight and the Yom Kippur sojourn. Admittedly here he'd be playing outside the traditional "hearlands of western pop" and to a crowd for whom he might on the face of it represent an age old enemy, but that reinforces the importance of doing so rather than diminishing it.

And besides, ramallah-ma-la-ma-la-ma-ding-dong has a certain rock'n'roller appeal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStsPPgeka4

[Minna]

I'm really not sure if this concert will work... Imagine him singing "Hallelujah" over there, including verses speaking of David and all... not sure if they'll love it. I'm not even sure there is enough crowd in there who appreciate Cohen's work and all...

Imagine Arabs singing Cohen's hallelujah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHcqm6OvhcQ

[newyork]

Minna,

Thank you for your posting where you say "Imagine Arabs singing Cohen's hallelujah"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHcqm6OvhcQ

I would love to post side-by-side Leonard's lyrics and these, but unfortunately, I will be busy for the next few weeks. Perhaps in August if it still seems relevant.

Briefly, however, this song couldn't prove my point better if you tried. As many people know, the word "Islam" means "submission." [See the American Heritage definition: Arabic 'islm, submission, from 'aslama, to surrender, resign oneself, from Syriac 'alem, to make peace, surrender, derived stem of lem, to be complete; see lm in Semitic roots.]

If you read these lyrics, they are all about submission of the individual to God's mercy. I don't think anyone hears these thoughts when (s)he hears LC's song. "Hallelujah" may mean "praise God," but it doesn't imply one's own unworthiness.

Of course, the specific reference in LC's song to King David composing the Book of Psalms is not only completely absent from the Arab version, I don't believe the audience in Ramallah will appreciate the reference. (I'm not yet as fluent in the beliefs of Islam as I hope to become, but I don't think King David or the Book of Psalms is part of the Jewish Bible that is revered in their religion. Someone may correct me if I am wrong.)

And the secular, sexual parts are missing as well. Again, hearing LC sing these lines is not likely to inspire the audience
to order LC CDs from Amazon.

In short, the music is familiar, but the thoughts are not.

[Womanfromaroom]

You may not know that quite a few of the inhabitants of Ramallah are, in fact, Christian (the female mayor of the city is Chriatian, too), and that you see loads of women without headscarves in the street, for example...

[Clem]

I have just posted this (see below) on another thread on this topic in the News section some minutes ago, and just discovered this thread again. It seems to me relevant to re-post it here as well.


In Leonard Cohen's Polish concert in Warsaw, 1985, during the troubles there, he gave this preamble to his rendition of 'If It Be your Will', which he sang with Anjani Thomas.

"...I don't know which side anybody's on anymore, and I don't really care. There is a moment, there is a moment (sic) when
we have to transcend the side we're on, and understand that we are creatures of a higher order.
That doesn't mean that I don't wish you courage in your struggle. There is on both sides of this struggle, men of good
will. That is important to remember; on both sides of this struggle: some struggling for freedom; some struggling for
safety.
In solemn testimony of that unbroken faith which binds the generations one to another, I sing this song, "If it be your
will".'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAHt2Hv_DI


If the rumours/plans in the above posts in this thread are true, then LC would seem to be in the same place again/still. Performing/hoping to perform on both sides of the green line would be consistent with his past words.

Of course Cohen has Palestinian fans on the West Bank! They don't live on another planet (even if those who think they do, do).

As for his and his band's safety, if world leaders, senior ministers and envoys can visit Ramallah safely; if the East/West Divan Orchestra (half Jewish/Israeli, half arab/palestinian) and its Jewish conductor, Daniel Barenboim, could visit Ramallah safely and perform, so can Leonard Cohen and his musical family.

If the Israeli government is playing silly buggers with them, as they did with Barenboim's orchestra (making it as difficult as possible to play in Ramallah: pleading security reasons etc; not issuing travel visas until the very last day/moment for the orchestra members), then Cohen's management should say,
'No Ramalla concert, no Tel Aviv concert'

[aleksandra]

Message from the PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel):

PACBI has always rejected any attempt to "balance" concerts in Israel -- a conscious act of complicity in Israel's violation of international law and human rights -- with concerts in the occupied Palestinian territory. We've also rejected similar ideas in the past for Paul McCartney to do the same.

Such attempts at "balance" not only immorally equate the oppressor with the oppressed, taking a neutral position on the oppression (thereby siding with the oppressor, as Desmond Tutu famously said); they also are an insult to the Palestinian people, as they assume that we are naive enough to accept such token shows of "solidarity" that are solely intended to cover up grave acts of collusion in whitewashing Israel's crimes. They are equivalent, in my view, to playing Sun City at the height of South African apartheid and then playing Soweto for good measure! Those sincerely interested in defending Palestinian rights and taking a moral and courageous stance against the Israeli occupation and apartheid should not play Israel. THAT is the least form of solidarity Palestinian civil society has called for.

For more on this see: http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=539

[sleepygoldenstorm]

newyork, your assumption of palesinian ignorance only belies your own. first, the west has done an excellent job of exporting its culture and it's pathetic to assume that only big macs and angelina jolie have made it past western borders. ramallah is a fairly international city with many europeans and americans living there and many of its palestinian residents having been educated or lived abroad; certainly leonard cohen has reached many palestinian ears and with great pleasure.

as for the jewish and christian imagery (and this goes for yaniv, too), there are three really stupid things about your statements. one: ramallah has a very large christian population and isn't far from bethlehem and other christian areas (none of whom could get visas to enter israel for cohen's ramat gan performance), so i think they'd get the jesus stuff just fine. two: islam believes all the monotheistic prophets to be true prophets and the stories of david and jesus are an integral part of the islamic tradition. and three: to assume someone born to a particular religion would know nothing of the imagery of another religion is absurd. if that were true, i, with a traditional jewish upbringing, wouldn't find it in me to appreciate "suzanne" or "our lady of solitude," which i assure you is not the case. besides, music is something that can be felt without having to be fully understood, which is why it's such a powerful form of cultural exchange. (does one really need to know the "unetaneh tokef" prayer, for example, to appreciate the dread and faith of "who by fire"?)

and speaking of being jewish, for those on this board who are worried for dear l.c.'s safety, know that i'm a jewish woman with israeli citizenship teaching at a palestinian university and i am very much unharmed. the only harrassment i worry awaits the singer is from the security forces at the checkpoint.

[Womanfromaroom]

Thank you, sleepygoldenstorm, for helping the voice of reason to be heard on the forum!

[newyork]

sleepygoldenstorm,

One point I've made is that there was no need for this concert in Ramallah. If the Europeans and Americans there want to see Leonard Cohen, they are free to fly to wherever in Europe they wish (allowing for the harassment at the airport or bridge, etc. etc.) As LC says on his London DVD, "I understand many of you have undergone considerable economic and geographical inconvenience to be here." Europeans and Americans in cities all over the world are flying to see LC multiple times (don't ask where they get the money or the time), why should E's and A's in Ramallah be special?

As for those Palestinians who are familiar with him and enjoy his music, they should let themselves be heard on this forum. Of the thousands of people posting to this forum, I have missed the Arab voices saying: "Leonard, come to Amman, come to Riyadh, come to Sana'a, come to Algiers, come to Cairo, come to Damascus, come to Gaza City, come to Casablanca, come to Beirut, come to Ramallah." People all over the world have called for him to come to places that could never support an actual concert, but they at least ask. Where are all the Arab voices crying for Leonard? (Actually, Beirut might work. There really are cosmopolitan Arabs there. And of course, there will be a concert in Istanbul.)

Next: I googled population of Ramallah and found that it was originally a Christian town, but decades ago many left (even before 1948). The various websites give wildly differing estimates of total population (some include surrounding villages, etc.), but the the bottom line is the Wikipedia statement that estimates the Christian % as between 5% and 50%. So take your pick. For this purpose, you probably will take the higher number. I doubt that but neither of us can prove anything.

As for the imagery, I did say that I didn't believe that Muslims appreciate King David, but I also said I wasn't sure because I haven't yet had the time to study more about their beliefs and that I was willing to be disproven. After you posted, I did a short look and found that he is mentioned several times in the Koran, so they can at least identify who he was. However, many, if not most, of the stories in the Tanach have been revised in the Muslim tradition in ways that change the Jewish original meanings, and I need to read further to establish that David is respected as the "sweet singer of Israel."

Also, don't fall into the trap of assuming everyone is like you: You are Jewish and learned about other cultures; unfortunately, not many people anywhere are interested in doing that. Most non-Jewish white people in the US know little about either Jewish beliefs or the black experience. And knowing the basis for "Who by Fire" does give a person a better appreciation of the song. A person can hear it and like it without knowing that it comes from the Yom Kippur liturgy (at least the first two lines; after that, it is kind of improvised), but such a person definitely misses the true feelings behind the song.

Which brings us back to "Hallelujah." Can someone please point out to me how the Arab recording posted by Minna in any way conveys the same feelings as the original? As I said in my earlier post, I would like to compare the words side-by-side when I have more time (hopefully around August).

And one request if you intend to engage in further dialogue: keep out the insults. I am neither "ignorant" nor "stupid." I just disagree with you. If I unintentionally call you names, call me out on that, because I am trying to keep these conversations civil.

[mirka]

I was raised as a Christian, and I'm not a very religious person, does this mean I'm not qualified enough to attend Leonard Cohen concerts ?
(what a ridiculous perspective you present, NewYork).

I'm trying to stay away from politics a smuch as possible, as I believe most of politicians all over the world are a little unbalanced (to put it mildly).
Leonard's concert in Ramallah was a good reason to look closer into the Israeli/Palestinian mess, the picture isn't pretty.
I found this website of a young American Stanford educated woman, who spend a couple of months in Ramallah, her letters from Ramallah are worth reading:
http://pamolson.org/publications.htm

[newyork]

MIrka,

But of course you are qualified to attend LC concerts. It is merely that certain allusions may escape you even as you enjoy the plain meaning of the lyrics, and the music, and the backing vocals. People spend years studying the intent of famous painters, musicians, poets, etc. and get more enjoyment out of the masterpieces after learning the background. But that doesn't disqualify one from enjoyment in the first place. (I really think you know this, but we're having fun anyway.)

Also, thanks for the posting of Hamas FAQs from the Stanford woman. Currently I am just hours away from a 4-week family vacation so I can't comment in detail (and won't be able to fully respond until I get home), but I had to read the FAQ about how Hamas is willing to live in peace with Israel. I hope that you will just take a comfortable seat, lean back, close your eyes and think about what she wrote. I am sure that upon reflection, you will reconsider whether this is an offer of peace or suicide.

Also, there are other interpretations of polls showing what the Palestinian people want. I will be happy to refer you to these when I get back.

Have a good summer!

[jarkko]

Hi all
I want strongly to underline that the information about Leonard's concert in Ramallah is based on rumors printed in local newspapers. It has not been confirmed by the tour management. The announcement about the concluding concert of the tour will come within a week, so let's wait until that.
Please also note that we have a separate thread at viewtopic.php?f=33&t=14585 reserved for the discussions about the political aspects in the Middle East area

[mirka]

Hi Jarkko,
I usually don't discuss politics as I believe it's waste of time, this time I just couldn't resist the bait
I promise not to do it anymore