JAKARTA — For 11 months, Israel has massacred Gaza indiscriminately. For almost a year, Palestinians have suffered under aggression and blockade. Gaza, which was once a charming small city on the coast and home to two million inhabitants, has turned into a prison that is slowly killing all the residents inside. Israel has left not a single meter of safety in Gaza.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that at least 40,738 people have been killed over the past 11 months since Israel attacked Gaza. This includes 16,500 children and 125 journalists. More than 93,855 people have been injured, and more than 10,000 are missing.
Israel has also damaged and destroyed more than half of the houses in Gaza. Based on data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was severely damaged. More than 50 percent of buildings were destroyed and 360 thousand buildings in Gaza were partially damaged or destroyed. A total of 305 schools or universities were destroyed, 32 hospitals could not operate, 25 hospitals were damaged by missile attacks, and 649 health care facilities were affected. Three churches and 290 mosques were destroyed, while 168 public buildings were damaged.
For 11 months, Israel has been carrying out a massive massacre in the Gaza Strip. This is an alarm that should be an emergency warning to the rest of the world that Gaza has reached its limit. Allowing the genocide to continue means allowing Israel to commit further massacres in the Gaza Strip.
In order to broadcast and continue to voice concern for Palestine, Dompet Dhuafa in collaboration with Titimangsa Theater held a musical theater entitled “Tanah yang Terpenjara” #LantangkanSuarauntukPalestina which will be held on October 3, 2024. As well as being the 1st anniversary of the events of October 7, 2023.
Happy Salma at the Tanah Yang Terpenjara Press Conference, Wednesday (18/9/2024), at Bakoel Koffie, Cikini, Central Jakarta, stated that humanity is above all. She also invited all levels of society to watch the musical theater performance, according to her, this event is not just entertainment, but a small step in raising awareness of what is happening in Gaza, Palestine.
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“On October 3, 2024, we will talk about humanity through art. We will voice our feelings about how humanity is above all else. This is the first time we speak out loud through art and I will also deliver narratives that connect this story about humanity. For that, don’t forget to buy tickets for the musical theater ‘Tanah Yang Terpenjara’ #LantangkanSuarauntukPalestina. This performance is a donation, the proceeds of ticket sales will be channeled by Dompet Dhuafa for the humanitarian struggle in Gaza, Palestine,” added Happy Salma.
The “Land of the Imprisoned” event will also present a series of activities, one of which is a musical theater that tells the story of the struggle of the people of Gaza who were expelled from their homes and survived against injustice. On Thursday (12/9/2024), the Dompet Dhuafa Creative Content Team conducted a direct interview with the Producer of “Tanah yang Terpenjara”, Titimangsa Theater, Pradetya Novitri.
“The Land of the Imprisoned tells the story of Palestine that they have been living in the Land of the Imprisoned for decades. So even though they say they live their lives as usual, but not with the freedom they have. Because suddenly there are bombings, attacks, and especially in the last year there have been continuous attacks and crimes committed. So, that’s what we’re raising and especially to continue to not give up and not be silent, especially to continue to voice what is happening in Palestine,” said the woman who is familiarly called Tya.
Titimangsa and Dompet Dhuafa are designing an offering to remind us all to remain committed to voicing support for Palestine. Tya hopes that the efforts that have been made can be strengthened with the aim of making this message more widely and loudly heard. That in 2024, war and humanitarian crimes still occur, all of this leads us to an important question “What can we do?”
Titimangsa shares the same vision as Dompet Dhuafa, which is to raise humanitarian issues. In the performance “Tanah Yang Terpenjara”, the messages that want to be echoed are to invite everyone to continue to care and voice support for Palestine, and to speak out against war crimes.
“That in 2024 in this world there are still people who commit crimes against humanity that should not happen. Hopefully, with this, more elements of society will speak out against war crimes. And hopefully, more elements of society will support the pro-Palestine movement, and think about the smallest things that can be done, starting from ourselves and starting from now,” continued Tya.
Palestine is a symbol of struggle and humanity. Despite decades of colonization and expulsion from their land, the Palestinians persevere with the belief that this is part of their destiny. However, they do not give up and continue to fight for their rights, teaching us that accepting our fate does not mean we stop fighting for what is rightfully ours.
Read also: Voices from Gaza: A Novel of Struggle and Truth
This event will be held in collaboration with an alliance of humanitarian agencies, musicians, influencers, communities, and various organizations involved with Dompet Dhuafa that care about the Palestinian issue. In addition to theater performances, the event will also feature poetry readings and a million letters to Palestine. This event invites all levels of society to participate in the humanitarian struggle.
For eleven months, the people of Gaza have lived only to witness one massacre after another. Running from one attack to another that happened repeatedly. There is not an inch of safety in the Gaza Strip today. Everything is so expensive there. Every bite of bread is worth hundreds of lives, and every prayer has to be paid with the loss of loved ones. There is no day without a funeral prayer, no time free from fear and tears.
Watch “The Land of the Imprisoned” and be part of the #LantangkanSuarauntukPalestina movement at www.titimangsa.com, for more information visit www.dompetdhuafa.org/tanah-yang-terpenjara. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Anndini Dwi Putri & DDTV
Editor: Ronna