San Francisco State University mural honors Palestine
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
By: Saul Kanowitz

Depicts contributions of Edward Said

On Nov. 2, hundreds of people attended the unveiling of a mural at San Francisco State University. The mural

Palestine mural unveiling ceremony at SFSU, Nov. 2. Photo: Saul Kanowitz

celebrates the struggle of the Palestinian people and honors the life and contributions of Palestinian intellectual, the late Prof. Edward Said.

The mural joins four other renderings representing the struggles against injustice and occupation: Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, the Filipino community and Asian and Pacific Islanders.

The mural project faced opposition from racist Zionist forces on campus and beyond, which attempted to prevent it from ever coming to fruition. The General Union of Palestinian Students, an SFSU campus student organization, called on the Palestinian community and supporters to rally in defense of the project.

The mural went through 20 different layouts to get to its final design. The lead artists were Dr. Fayeq Oweis and Dr. Susan Greene. Oweis, an Arab American artist previously designed the murals for the Arab American National Museum. Green, a Jewish artist is director of the Break the Silence Mural project, which works to bring greater awareness of the complexities of the conflict in occupied Palestine.

The mural has 17 images representing different aspects of Palestinian society and the life of Said. The images include the Jerusalem, the city where Said was born, a Debka dance troupe practicing traditional folkloric Arab dance, a picture of Said, an olive tree, reflecting a deep connection to the land, and a postage stamp of Said as an idea for the future.

A sunny mid-afternoon unveiling ceremony honored the mural. It was part of a daylong celebration.

GUPS issued a statement that reflected the significance of the day: "We hope our Palestinian grandmothers and grandfathers find comfort and pride in knowing that the love and passion they feel deep within their hearts for Palestine, is very much alive within the third generation. We remain confident that we will see a truly free Palestine and we remain steadfast awaiting our return."

Long live Palestine!

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