Maestro Daniel Barenboim: the only path to peace between Israel and Palestine is a path based on humanism, justice, equality...
Francisco Cruz
Owner, Francisco Filipe Cruz - Cultural Marketing. Cultural Sponsorship
The current events in Israel and Gaza have deeply shocked us all. There is no justification for Hamas' barbaric terrorist acts against civilians, including children and babies. We must acknowledge this, and pause. But then the next step is, of course, the question of: what now? Do we now surrender to this terrible violence and let our striving for peace "die" - or do we continue to insist that there must and can be peace?
I am convinced that we have to move on and keep the larger context of the conflict in mind. Our musicians of the West-Eastern Divan, our students in the Barenboim-Said Academy, they are almost all directly affected. Many of the musicians live in the region, and the others also have many ties to their homeland. This strengthens my conviction that there can only be one solution to this conflict: one on the basis of humanism, justice and equality - and without armed force and occupation.
Our message of peace must be louder than ever. The greatest danger is that all the people who so ardently desire peace will be drowned out by extremists and violence. But any analysis, any moral equation we might draw up, must have as its core this basic understanding: there are people on both sides. Humanity is universal and the recognition of this truth on both sides is the only way. The suffering of innocent people on either side is absolutely unbearable.
The images of the devastating terrorist attacks by Hamas break our hearts. Our reaction clearly shows: the willingness to empathise with the situation of others is essential. Of course, and especially now, one must also allow for emptions like fear, despair and anger - but the moment this leads us to deny each other humanity, we are lost. Every single person can make a difference and pass something on. This is how we change things on a small scale. On a large scale, it is up to politics.
We have to offer other perspectives to those who are attracted to extremism. After all, it is usually people who are completely without prospects, who are desperate, who devote themselves to murderous or extremist ideologies, who find a home there. Education and information are equally essential, because there are so many positions based on absolute misinformation.
To reiterate quite clearly: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a political conflict between two states over borders, water, oil or other resources. It is a deeply human conflict between two peoples who have known suffering and persecution. The persecution of the Jewish people over 20 centuries culminated in the Nazi ideology that murdered six million Jews.
The Jewish people cherished a dream; a land of their own, a homeland for all Jews in what is now Palestine. But from this dream followed a deeply problematic, because fundamentally false, assumption: a land without a people for a people without a land. In reality, however, the Jewish population of Palestine during the First World War was only 9%. 91% of the population was therefore not Jewish, but Palestinian, grown over centuries. The country could hardly be called a "land without a people" and the Palestinian population saw no reason to give up their own land. The conflict was thus inevitable, and since its beginning the fronts have only hardened further over generations. I am convinced: the Israelis will have security when the Palestinians can feel hope, that is, justice. Both sides must recognise their enemies as human beings and try to empathise with their point of view, their pain and their hardship. Israelis must also accept that the occupation of Palestine is incompatible with this.
For my understanding of this more than 70-year-old conflict, my friendship with Edward Said is the key experience. We found in each other a counterpart who can take us further and help us to see the supposed other more clearly and understand him better. We have recognised and found each other in our common humanity. For me, our joint work with the West-Eastern Divan, which finds its logical continuation and perhaps even its culmination in the Barenboim-Said Academy, is probably the most important activity of my life.
In the current situation, we naturally ask ourselves about the significance of our joint work in both the orchestra and the academy. It may seem little - but the mere fact that Arab and Israeli musicians share a podium at every concert and make music together, that is of immense value to us. Over the years, through this commonality of music-making, but also through our countless, sometimes heated discussions, we have learned to better understand the supposed other, to approach them and to find common ground in our humanity and in music. We start and end all discussions, no matter how controversial, with the fundamental understanding that we are all equal human beings who deserve peace, freedom and happiness.
This may sound na?ve, but it is not: for it is this understanding that seems to be completely lost in the conflict on both sides today. Our experience shows that this message has reached many people in the region and around the world. We must, want and will continue to believe that music can bring us closer together in our humanity.
- Daniel Barenboim, October 13, 2023
WEST-EASTERN DIVAN ORCHESTRA
For 20 years, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has been a significant presence in the international music world. In 1999, Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian literary scholar Edward W. Said created a workshop for young musicians to promote coexistence and intercultural dialogue. They named the orchestra and workshop after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s collection of poems West-Eastern Divan, a central work for the development of the concept of world culture. The orchestra’s first rehearsal sessions took place in Weimar and Chicago. An equal number of Israeli and Arab musicians form the base of the ensemble, together with members from Turkey, Iran, and Spain. They meet each summer for rehearsals, followed by an international concert tour.
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Since its founding the orchestra has proved time and again that music can break down barriers previously considered insurmountable. The only political aspect that prevails in the work of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is the conviction that there is no military solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and that the destinies of Israelis and Palestinians are inextricably linked. Through its work and existence, the orchestra demonstrates that bridges can be built to encourage people to listen to the other’s narrative. While music alone cannot resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, it grants the individual the right and obligation to express herself or himself fully while listening to his or her neighbour. Based on this notion of equality, cooperation, and justice for all, the orchestra represents an alternative model to the current situation in the Middle East.
Since its earliest years, one of the West-Eastern Divan’s goals has been to perform in all countries represented by its musicians. Concerts in Rabat, Doha, and Abu Dhabi and the landmark concert in Ramallah in 2005 have been steps towards fulfilling this aspiration. The orchestra has also performed at the United Nations: in December 2006 in honour of Secretary General Kofi Annan at the General Assembly in New York and in October 2015 at the UN headquarters in Geneva. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Daniel Barenboim UN Messenger of Peace in September 2007 and designated the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra a UN Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding in February 2016.?
The orchestra’s repertoire extends beyond symphonic works to opera and chamber music. Concert highlights have included performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Musikverein in Vienna, New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Hagia Eirene Museum in Istanbul, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, and the Teatro Colón and Centro Cultural Kirchner in Buenos Aires. The orchestra is a regular guest at the BBC Proms and the festivals of Salzburg and Lucerne.
Courtesy Daniel Barenboim
Head, Independent Conflict Research & Analysis (ICRA)
1 å¹´Music is a common culture, a common language, and carries a common understanding among that crosses boundaries between peoples.