By Christine Sheller
Sunday, February 23, 2025, CPT (Community Peacemaker Teams) ,
IPN (Iowa Peace Network), and CPM (Catholic Peace Ministry) as well as other
sponsors welcomed persons to a free screening of “Light,” a movie produced and
filmed by CPT- Palestine. It was held at
the Des Moines Mennonite Church on the northwest side of Des Moines, and began
at 6:30 PM. Approximately 45 persons viewed the movie and stayed for
discussion and fellowship.
The movie is described this way by CPT: "Are you interested in life as a human
rights observer in Al-Khalil/Hebron city amidst Israeli apartheid? Step into
the shoes of the CPT-Palestine team for a day through our documentary film.
Witness our accompaniment of school students through checkpoints, join our team
meeting, and experience a family visit to Tel Rumeida in the H2 area and Umm
Al-Khair village in the South Hebron Hills. Feel the stress, fear, and anxiety,
but also the solidarity, love, and empowerment in their stories. Explore the
old city's streets, buildings, and the breathtaking nature of the South Hebron
Hills. This film will leave you feeling hopeful and inspired to advocate for
Palestinian rights. Join us on this journey."
The movie, as stated above, moved between conversations
between CPT members; video of CPT members working:
for example, accompanying a young man being taken by Israeli soldiers and
detaining him; and testimonies by survivors of the violence in Palestine. This film had English subtitles, and much of
the movie is in English, with bits of Arabic and other throughout.
The night began with a few words from Christine Sheller,
welcoming people to the space, as the Iowa Peace Network DM office is in the
Des Moines Mennonite Church building.
Julie Brown, Outreach Coordinator for CPT, introduced the film, and
welcomed her husband, Muhammed, to read the statement from Sikawis from Great
Plains Action Society, linking Israeli colonization of Palestine to American
colonization of Native Americans here in the United States. Sikwais was planning to be there, but was
unable to. Muhammed also shared that he
had indigenous experience in Iraqi Kurdistan, and felt a connection to all indigenous,
including Palestine and the U.S.
Two of the survivors who shared testimonies in the film had
loved ones who had been lost to violence.
One man who spoke was from Mafasser Yatta and had lost several family members.
Mafasser Yatta is a rural area outside of Hebron. He spoke about his uncle who became a legend
for his bravery in standing in the way, and standing for Palestinians and their
land. He was eventually killed.
Some of the other things I learned and things which stuck
with me, from the movie was that there are settlers in the city of Hebron. I had thought they were only in rural
areas. Julie Brown, CPT Outreach coordinator, who was
instrumental in getting this event to happen, shared after the movie during
discussion when this item came up, that they build on top of Palestinian
homes. “If they don’t move and give
their homes to settlers, the settlers build on top of their homes,” she said. Another thing I learned, but was not surprised
about, was the fact shared that shepherds in Mafasser Yatta were attacked 3-4
times a year before 2010, now it is 3 to 4 times a week. As we know, the violence has escalated much, into
war and genocide, all over Palestine, especially Gaza, although at the moment in a ceasefire.
Some of the most meaningful things from the movie for me
included the music and art shared, as well as the artful filmography throughout. At one point a CPT woman sang, “Keeping up
hope for me,” and another quoted a song, “Thank you for the pain.” She made the point that pain deepened her
resolve. I appreciated the artfulness of
the narrative, as well.
The movie was approximately 1 hour in length. After the film, I asked the two questions I
have answered in the previous paragraphs:
“What did you learn in the film?” and “What was most meaningful for you
in the film?” These questions were provided
by CPT, among other possible questions to ask. People also had
questions, and Julie fielded those. Some
feedback was given on the movie, as well.
Donations were taken at this time, as well, and the donations were to be
split between CPT-Palestine and Great Plains Action Society.
After the questions, attendees were invited for refreshments. Julie’s husband had made some Middle-Eastern
treats: hummus and cookies. There was quite an array of refreshments:
grapes, crackers and pretzels for the hummus, tomato-cucumber-olive-cheese kebobs,
olives, and the cookies. People stayed
around and chatted. There was info from
different organizations that sponsored available.
The sponsors included:
Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), Catholic Peace Ministry, Iowa Peace
Network, Des Moines Mutual Aid, FOSNA (Friends of Sabeel North America), Des
Moines Catholic Worker, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines for
Palestine, Honor Native Land Fund, and Great Plains Action Society.
Christine Sheller is editor and coordinator at Iowa Peace
Network, based in Des Moines, and remotely in Eldora, IA.
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