To the directors of Womadelaide Festival 2001:
Dear Mr. Scobie,
I received your answer to my letter of apology for being unable to participate in the 2001 Womadelaide Music Festival.
I would like to express my respect for your methods of organizing the festival, selecting the participants, and securing financial sponsorship to cover the expenses incured. While I appreciate your position as organizers, I would expect that you might understand my position as an artist whose people continue, to this day, to suffer a humanitarian crisis. This is not only a historical issue but a also a daily reality that cannot overlook. "Seeing beyond the political enmity," is only possible if Israel's continued inhumane practices and aggression towards my people is discounted. This is because what is happening does not fall under the so-called "political enmity," but rather - in more accurate terms - it is the absence of the human dimension that allows one to think of moving beyond the details.
Based on what I explained, I am surprised at the rationale expressed in your last letter. For my declining to participate is not related or dependent, at all, on any changes in the international political affairs related to the course of the current peace talks between the Arabs and the Israelis. Furthermore, I do not see in the current peace process anything that has reduced the killing of my people as the world watches. I hope that you, along with the rest of the world, have seen the daily inhumanity foisted upon the Palestinians and what was inflicted on my people, children, women, and elderly. Therefore, it is unreasonable that - as your letter indicates - you see the implications of my withdrawal at the same level as you see the implications of Chava Alberstein's participation. For it is not logical to equate the murderer and the victim in a case like ours.
If we were to discuss how "the arts and music has more to unite people than to divide them," as stated in your letter, then I hope that you appreciate that I am one of those artists who has sought to achieve this reality through music. Nonetheless, it is by no means belittling to the arts to say that there exist many other ways to express rejection to injustice, until a festival as highly regarded as yours takes the initiative to see the issue from the point of view of what such a festival could contribute to remove this injustice. In that case, I would expect even the Israeli artist to have the human courage to participate in such an international activity.
But to expect me to leave my people dying in my country and to travel to a festival - which hosts an Israeli artist just because she is Israeli - And to do that in the name of moving beyond the political is difficult to understand. In fact, such an expectation has to only come from someone who has insufficient knowledge of what transpires in Lebanon and Palestine.
Finally, I take issue with your point about the "reasonable person" that you expect me to be as meaning - among other things - is to devoid the artist from his human emotions so that he/she may leave his/her destroyed home and dispossessed family to go and perform under the illusion of what's called the "rational human family."
Allow me again to express my shock at the inaccuracies found in your response, for I cannot accept to be at same table with an artist officially representing the executioner of my people despite all the illusionary hopes in recent years pinned on a peace that is unjust.
I reiterate my salutation and appreciation for your efforts in making this international musical gathering possible. I wish you continued success, I am confident that there will be a time in the future when humanity is capable of a real civilized dialogue under more humane conditions.
Sincerely,
Marcel Khalife
