It’s been a long hard slog for pro-Palestine activists in recent times, and without too much levity. So it was well-deserved that at Brisbane’s Palestine Activism Conference, the Saturday night was set aside for some musical entertainment. 

First up is Sophie Nishizawa. Sophie’s songs are tender and quiet - meditative lyrics sung out in her expressive voice, mostly sparsely picked out on guitar. I say mostly, because during the set Sophie alternately plays electric and acoustic guitar, autoharp and flute; sometimes all at once with the aid of a loop pedal. In some ways it’s a tough crowd for this sort of music - many people are there for purposes other than the music and are catching up or discussing the intricacies of the Balfour Declaration. But most of the room sit quietly listening, wrapped in the sonic blanket of the songs.

Phil Monsour is (I think) what you would call a stalwart of Brisbane protest music - he has been making it since the early 80’s in various bands and styles - in recent years as a solo artist playing acoustic folk rock. Palestine in particular has been a frequent topic, since a couple of trips to the Occupied Territories with a trade union delegation. Tonight it is the main, but not only, subject - the set showcasing his newest release also touches on refugees, climate and Aboriginal issues. 

Interestingly, Phil has video projections running the whole way through his set - some footage from Palestine, but mostly from the countless solidarity protests that have taken place in Brisbane over the last few years. There is quite a moving moment when, for his new song We Will Be Free, he invites all the Palestinians in the room to join him on stage, and they oblige him with a rousing chorus. That song seems to sum up Phil’s spirit - these are songs of protest sure, but also of defiance, of community and of life.

Next up is Pig City Sensored - the Sunshine State’s newest cop-hating radical hip hop crew. These guys are not trying to keep up with the latest trends in rap’s neverending evolution, they are about taking it back to the 90’s when KRS-One and Ice-T were spitting radical rhymes over simple, energetic beats. At this point the chairs are pushed back for a dancefloor to enthusiastically form. Pig City Sensored also have video footage playing of protest marches, ranging from the 1982 Commonwealth Games Protests to the recent months - and that’s not even the most striking visual element when juxtaposed with Sam’s Aboriginal flag balaclava.

Last act for the night is the Al-Zaytoun Palestinian Dabke dance group. The dabke is an extremely important part of Palestinian culture - one that is kept alive by migrants and refugees all over the world. The beginning steps at least are relatively simple, so the troupe start by demonstrating the steps then inviting everyone to join hands and take part. Soon, concentric circles of dabke are weaving their way around the Elements Collective dance studio - most of us somewhat awkwardly trying to keep up as the Palestinians start doing more and more complex steps. There is leaping, cheering, scarf-waving - a joyous celebration of cultural survival and defiance that is a very fitting way to end the night before everyone returned the next morning for more talks about political strategy and humanitarian disasters.

Words by Andy Paine

Photo by Alex Bainbridge