Poet and activist Remi Kanazi to speak on Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Thursday night, an event that has taken years to arrange will finally come to fruition on UNC’s campus.

The UNC Students for Justice in Palestine has commissioned world-renowned poet and activist Remi Kanazi to engage the UNC community in a discourse on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“We’ve been trying to get him for years now, so we’re really excited he’s coming,” said junior and SJP member Layla Quran. “He’s not just a spoken word artist — he’s an activist.”

Kanazi has traveled throughout the Middle East, North America and Europe condemning the maltreatment of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. He has also been featured on Al Jazeera English and BBC Radio, and he has shared the stage with other notable activists such as Alice Walker and Angela Davis.

Senior Omar Kashef, a member of SJP’s executive board, said the organization wanted to bring in an internationally-renowned poet to discuss the issue.

Quran said a poet can play a unique and influential role in discussing these issues.

“Poets have the ability to communicate what politicians cannot — Remi advocates for a certain call,” she said.

The event, “Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine,” will feature performances by UNC students, members of SJP and members of UNC’s Sacrificial Poets. While a variety of topics will be discussed, the topic of social justice will persist throughout the event.

“SJP wants to showcase some of UNC’s talent, while also allowing them to speak about social justice issues and just have fun,” Kashef said.

Kanazi also said students don’t have to act only on the Palestinian cause, but on any social topic that touches them.

“What binds socially conscious people is fighting against oppression,” he said.

Kashef said it’s important for students to discuss these issues, even if they’re transpiring abroad. He also said that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” comes to mind regarding the event.

“I want to see the room filled up because Remi is really amazing — the more people, the more likely there will be a conversation,” Kashef said.

Quran said she feels passionately about the acts she feels are unjust.

“I’m Palestinian, and I have to go through checkpoints if I want to get to Jerusalem,” she said. “There is an occupier and an occupied — under law we’re not equal. It is an apartheid regime.”

Still, both Quran and Kashef said they have no problem with Israel.

“We want it to be recognized that we can all live in the area peacefully,” Qoran said.

Kanazi said he has high hopes for the event.

“I hope that I can discomfort people a little bit, but I don’t want them to shut down,” he said.

“I want people to walk away and say, ‘What’s happening there is unjust, I must act.’”

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