Poster for event

‘Life Under Apartheid’: a talk by Hana Al Bidaq

A Palestinian translator who was prevented from travelling to the UK in September for the Hastings event ‘Palestine on the Pier’ will be visiting the town on 7 January to give her long-delayed talk on life under an apartheid regime. HRPSC chair, Katy Colley writes.

Hana Al Bidaq is a computer systems engineer ,who was born and has lived all her life in Palestine. The mother of four boys, she describes herself as a ‘women’s rights activist by nature, a corruption fighter and always working for change and freedom for my communities’.

She has been at the forefront of many political movements, most recently ‘Tafah Al Kel’ which translates as ‘We are Fed Up’ and relates to the many policies and so-called solutions proposed which, in Hana’s words, are designed ‘to shut Palestinians up and stop them asking for their freedoms and human rights’.

Palestinian dress show which Hana helped to arrange

Hana’s translation skills were central to arranging the modern and historic dress exhibition for the ‘Palestine on the Pier’ festival this year and she was due to accompany the designer, Imtiaz Hussein, to the event in September.

However, due to travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians – not required of Israeli visitors to this country – her visa was not granted in time for the festival. Unfortunately it arrived just one day before the big event, despite the fact that it was applied for three months in advance.

Hana, undeterred, has choosen to use her visa to travel to the UK four months after the event and address the subjects she planned to talk about in the ‘Talking Tent’ on the Pier: apartheid rules imposed on Palestinians for agriculture, water, education and travel.

Living under an apartheid regime affects every single area of life – whether it is the water you drink, the home you live in, the food on your table, the books taught to your children in school or your ability to get around.

In this revealing and personal talk, Hana takes an intimate look at the daily difficulties, humiliations and disparities that apartheid imposes on ordinary people.
She is determined to share her experiences with the world and to increase the understanding of Palestinian oppression among Western audiences.

Hana Al Bidaq

We are thrilled to host Hana for this one-off talk. I think when one hears a personal perspective it really brings home the unfairness and injustice of apartheid. We have been so impressed working with Hana, learning about all the obstacles she and other Palestinians are faced with every day just to live a normal life. And we know this is a very valuable perspective to share with others. It is a privilege to help amplify her message.

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