I Can Do Anything presents an intimate and poignant portrayal of life in Palestine through the compelling oral history of Um Baseem Al Kafarneh, an Indigenous farmer from Beit Hanoun, Gaza. Born in the 1930s in historic Palestine, Um Baseem vividly recounts her joyful childhood amid Gaza’s orchards. Her testimony demonstrates the rich social, cultural, and political fabric of Palestinian village life and the profound connection to ancestral land. After the 1948 Nakba destroyed her rural community and displaced its people, she describes the challenges of living in a volatile border region and the difficulties of life under Israeli military occupation. Despite violence and loss, including her sister’s tragic murder, Um Baseem’s resilience shines through. Her unwavering devotion to her land, even in the face of occupation and personal tragedy, underscores the enduring strength and spirit of her people. This is the fourth book in the Women’s Voice from Gaza series.
Arvustused
The Womens Voices from Gaza series is exceptional, offering insights into modern Gazas social history. It will attract a wide readership in Palestine studies and gender studies, as well as individuals interested in the Palestine question. Rema Hammami, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Birzeit University What an extraordinary project! We dont hear enough from Gaza. Through the oral histories of Palestinian women who have lived, witnessed, and built lives and futures for their families and communitiesin the face of devastating force and continuing injusticeswe learn Palestinian History through the intimate daily ways individuals have lived and made it. Lila Abu-Lughod, Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science, Columbia University Gaza City is one of the most ancient cultural centres on the Mediterranean, and its people have long been a backbone of the Palestinian national movement. How Gazan women describe their lives under continual siege and military attack reveals their capacity for bearing hardship and undertaking initiatives in the public sphere. Ghada Ageel, a Gazan, and Barbara Bill have ably used oral history to bring readers the lived reality of women of different backgrounds, ages, and occupations. Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian
Muu info
An oral history portraying life in historic Palestine through the compelling life story of an Indigenous farmer from Beit Hanoun, Gaza.
Preface: Introducing Womens Voices from Gaza
Introduction
I Can Do Anything
1. Childhood
2. The British Mandate and Life in Palestine Prior to the Nakba
3. The Nakba
4. The Egyptian Administration and the 1956 Invasion
5. Marriage
6. The 1967 War and its Atrocities
7. The First Intifada and the Loss of Khaled
8. Living and Raising Children Under Occupation
9. This Land is My Essence, My Heart, and My Eternal Love
10. The Second Intifada, Separation, and Resilience (we are here to stay)
Chronology of Events in Palestine
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Um Baseem Al Kafarneh (19372009) was an Indigenous Palestinian farmer from Beit Hanoun, a strategically located town in Gaza district. Barbara Bill has experience with several international humanitarian organizations including six years in Gaza. She currently resides in New South Wales, Australia. Ghada Ageel is Visiting Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta, a columnist for the Middle East Eye, and the editor of Apartheid in Palestine (UAlberta Press).
