Mohammed Assaf's victory five years on : Arab idol and the zionist colonization of Palestine

Abstract EN

This essay, based on the author’s fieldwork on Palestinian music and oral history, examines the position of singer and Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf in relation to the contemporary Palestinian struggle and the wider play of power in the Arab world.

The issues discussed gravitate towards three main themes: the relationships between musicians and a liberation movement facing a crisis of leadership as Israel builds its repressive armory.

Second, the Arab Idol phenomenon as part of the growing interventionism of the Saudi ruling class in regional societies.

And relatedly, the growing fissures between a Palestinian comprador bourgeoisie and the grassroots movement of the oppressed.

More generally, this essay looks at the space for radical nationalist music and argues that, as in the crucial struggles for Palestine over the course of the last century, history and music will continue to be written on the streets.