Asking what resistance means to me is like asking what water means to me. How could I begin to answer?
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Resistance is essential to a life well-lived. It is the art of being human.
It is a refusal to comply with the rules of one’s oppressor. It is creating the terms of one’s own life while building and participating in community.
Resistance is unity and awareness of international struggle. Resistance works towards collective liberation. It requires patience, persistence, and resilience.
Sumud is an Arabic word that refers to the uniquely Palestinian concept of steadfastness in the face of chronic adversity.
Abdel Fatah Abu Srour, director of the cultural NGO al-Ruwwad in ‘Aida refugee camp defined sumud as the process of reclaiming and defending one’s humanity.
Zoughbi Zoughbi, the director of the Wi’am center in Bethlehem wrote, “sumud is not a single, demonstrative action. It is not just planting a tree and saying, ‘This is sumud.’ It is about how to nourish the tree, how to trim it, how to harvest it, how to create a healthier atmosphere for all … Sumud is an art of living and building relationships between people.”
Cultivating a sense of joy despite suffering is form of resistance. Not letting oppression overcome spirit is resistance.
So what does it mean to me? It means life.
