Land, Biodiversity & the Colony: continued

~ rashatayeh

To continue our knowledge shares in the lead up to Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh’s arrival in Naarm (Melbourne) next week, I thought I’d share another conversation I had with Prof Mazin, where we discussed his latest paper on the Impact of the Israeli military activities on the environment.

In preparation for next week’s event, it is important to ground ourselves in the reality of what has been and is currently happening – and will continue to happen, if we do not liberate Palestine.  

“Israel is one of the most militarized in the world…Israel is the 5th or 6th largest exporter of high-tech weapons. All of these things create damage to the environment. Military exercises for example…this is in terms of pre conflict. And then you have of course conflict where they drop bombs on civilian areas…buildings…on the open areas. In the case of Gaza for example, it is a very tiny strip of land of 360 square kilometers…Israel dropped within the first 51 days of conflict more bombs…52,000 tons of bombs, almost 3 times as much as they had dropped in 2014 in that attack on Gaza. So when you think about these tens of thousands of tons of explosives dropped on a very crowded area, I mean this impart explains a high civilian casualty rate. It is basically carpet bombing in many ways. And even Israel admits that half the bombs they used were not ‘smart bombs.’ They were dumb bombs like a 200-ton bomb dropped on a civilian area …so the use of weapons and the use of military damages the environment. This is not even counting the greenhouse gas emissions….Military producers around the world are the largest producers of greenhouse gases…Israel has used more than three times as much as the U.S. had used in Vietnam” – Professor Mazin.

You can imagine the impact of this, let alone white phosphorous, on land and marine ecology, let alone human beings. Plants and us are not too much unlike from one another.

I highly suggest you listen to the whole 21-minute interview below.

We look forward to next week being a productive and inspiring conversation to empower us to seek the non-negotiable change that must happen. An immediate ceasefire. A liberated Palestine. Reparations. Healing. And a Return of all displaced Palestinians to their homes and homelands.

You can also check out my earlier post introducing Prof Mazin & his work at this link.

Thanks to everyone who booked a ticket to attend the event I’m hosting through Beit e’Shai at Aunty Alma Thorpe’s Gathering Place on Land, Biodiversity & the Colony next Thursday 9th May. If you missed out on tickets to this sold out event, don’t worry, there will be a variety of knowledge shares published following the event. And there are other opportunities to learn from Prof Mazin while he’s in Naarm – so try to get to one of the events below:

I am very honoured to be speaking alongside Prof Mazin at RMIT University on the 8th May, there are still tickets available for this event on the Occupation, Environment & Food Sovereignty in Palestine at this link.

Hope to see you at some of these events.

Take care, and as Prof Mazin would say: Stay human & keep Palestine alive.

Land, Biodiversity & the Colony: an introduction

~ rashatayeh ~ 1 Comment

I was recently asked to fill-in on 3CR community radio station for my friend Marroushti of Salaam Radio Show (thank you Mirna for the opportunity) and thought it would be a great way to introduce some of the work I’ve been doing on Land, Biodiversity & the Colony and an important event I’m hosting on this topic, with a brilliant line-up of speakers next month.

This episode of Salaam Radio Show I prepared is dedicated to the Land, and the importance of ecological & land-based practices. During the show, I interview Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bethlehem who is visiting us in Naarm next month to discuss the impacts of militarism on nature. I also commemorate Palestine’s Land Day, highlight the joint struggle of Indigenous communities in Palestine & Aboriginal Nations in so-called Australia, and plug some important events coming up at Beit e’Shai Teahouse on Land, Biodiversity & the Colony, and more.

You can listen to the recording of this episode below (produced in the studios of independent community radio station 3CR in Naarm/Melbourne):

Sonic musings curated for this show’s playlist are reflective, ambient, electronic, and sometimes classical; from some of my favourite artists including: Nicolas Jaar, Checkpoint 303, Kamilya Jubran, Khyam Allami, Oum, & Ruba Shamshoum, with releases from Al Gharib record label. 

Below are links to events, readings & campaigns referenced in this episode. They are also published on the linktree in the bio of Beit e’Shai @beiteshai Instagram page.

Resource links: 

I hope you find these knowledge shares I selected timely and informative.

Stay Tender

~ rashatayeh

When I was home last, I spent some time with Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh

Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History in occupied Bethlehem.

Always generously teaching us about the land, the trees, the waters, the skies, the birds, the bees and our rich biodiversity that is devastatingly destroyed by the brutality of Israeli military occupation.

Genocide upon ecocide.

Ecocide upon genocide.

I look to our elders and plant kin to remind me to stay tender, to keep heart, and keep hope. Faith is strong.

Prof Mazin always signs off his letters with ‘Stay Human’.

To you I want to say;

Stay Human.

Stay Tender.

On Rage

~ rashatayeh

I posted this on my facebook & instagram in November 2023… I want to share it again here. At the time I was creating a pop-up shop for my tea business while grieving family, friends and a homeland… now, still grieving, still watching a live-streamed genocide of my people. And I’m angry. And my rage is sacred.

28.11.2023: Some thoughts over this morning’s cup of tea… I’ve had some people ask me, how do you find it in you to build a shop at this time… I said, it is because of my anger needing to be channeled. And my deep belief in the fact that we can and are going to create a better world.

On Anger:

Living in the diaspora means, we as Palestinian women, will often be shamed for our rage, people want us to be ‘tamed’.

Here’s the thing, our rage is sacred. Our anger is sacred.

Our culture and our ancestors honour ALL our emotions.

Rage is an active emotion.

It’s a life force. It’s a strong and necessary thrust forward in times of stagnation.

As I grow older, I know more that under my rage, there is love.

I know more how to tap into this endless well of love.

I channel my anger in ways that show how much I love.

How much I love my people. Rather than how much I hate my oppressors.

It’s hard.

It’s life long spiritual work.

But I know that when I hear my elders speak, they remind me to Love harder.

To love harder than hate.

To take care of each other.

Even in my rage, I love.

Even in my anger, I love.

And if my emotions make you uncomfortable around me, then that’s a good thing.

I welcome your discomfort.

I encourage you to sit in it.

For as long as it takes to find your courage.

In your discomfort you will find courage to grow. You will find growth. In your discomfort, you will find transformation.

These past 50 days or so, I have seen people’s true colours. Who’s fiercely resisting the injustices we are living, and who is upholding colonial structures of oppression under the guise of their ‘good intentions’.

The road to hell is paved in good intentions.

If my rage scares you.

It is alignment.

If you are enraged by the state of the world with me.

It is alignment.

— Rasha

On Bitterness

~ rashatayeh

Last month at Elvie’s Open Mic Night at Elvie’s Studio our Beit e’Shai tea ceremony reflected on how we move through Bitterness.

Serving bitter herbs to aid digestion.

How do we even begin digesting bitter thoughts and bitter feelings…

In between performances, I shared some words, on sacred rage, feeling bitter and tasting bitterness, on sitting in bitterness, and plant wisdom that holds us, that alchemises and transmutes.

By the end of the night I realised that Bitterness is best digested in community.

There is only so much we can process alone.

I also shared a reflection on Olives.

How they’re naturally bitter.

How the process of making them digestible involve crushing or slicing them a little, washing them for weeks, then placing them into jars with brine. It is only with time, the healer of all healers, that their internal bitterness extracts into the brine. Making them edible. palatable. digestible.

Bitterness sits still in the vessel. In the brine. With the olives, but outside of them. We honour this feeling of bitterness, we acknowledge its lessons and work with it just as our olives teach us to. We sit with it in our vessel, it sits around us, rather than inside us.

When people don’t make sense, plants do. I’m grateful to the olive trees for their sacred wisdom.

Join us for tea, spoken words and poems at Elvie’s Open Mic Night, tomorrow night Friday 23rd February.

I won’t be sharing words this time, will let tea speak for itself. Tea is our poetry here at Beit e’Shai.

I look forward to hearing your words and being in community with you again.

Thank you Ella for bringing together our community of poets and dreamers in another evening of reflection.

Images from Rasha Tayeh’s ‘On Food & Memory’ solo exhibition (2016).

Vignettes: Land & Water

~ rashatayeh

At this link hosted by K(not) a major artistic project from Arts Gen, that discusses the impacts of ecological justice and climate colonisation on diasporic and first nations communities, I share a non-linear essay and an experimental soundscape of field recordings (best listened to on headphones). The work was commissioned and published in 2022.

The k(not) project reflects upon the way climate change will and has already created major public health impacts for our communities and provides a platform to undertake slowed-down and more expansive thinking in order to seek alternative strategies to our current crisis that incorporates food and land sovereignty alongside greater reflection upon the ongoing racialised violence that is inherent within climate colonisation itself.

To access the work visit this link. For a description, see below:

Rasha Tayeh, 2022

Land, 1000 words. In this non-linear essay, Rasha Tayeh shares an intimate reflection from her lived experience and draws on the parallels of settler-colonial projects, occupying Palestine and Aboriginal Nations in the continent now known as Australia.  Her words are presented in vignettes, as thoughts brewing, while making a cup of tea, or walking along the Merri Creek.

Water, 3:42 mins, experimental soundscape of field recordings of making a cup of tea merged with ambient sounds of the Merri Creek on Wurundjeri Country.

Rasha Tayeh acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which she currently lives, works and creates, Narrm; the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and neighbouring Boonwurrung Peoples of the Kulin Nation.

The Importance of a Wintertime Tea Ritual

~ rashatayeh

With winter in full swing and COVID-19 induced anxieties in the air, there’s never been a better time to create a tea ritual. The benefits of various teas themselves, and the act of having a simple ritual, are both incredibly valuable at this time. Here’s why:

Benefits of tea 

  • Boosts immunity
    Germs thrive in cold weather, and with COVID-19 virus still prevalent, it’s never been more important to strengthen our immunity. Tea warms the body soothes sore throats, reduces symptoms of congestion, fevers and common colds. Ingredients like ginger, lemon, thyme and turmeric are particularly beneficial to have in a brew. Beit e’Shai Immunity Organic Herbal Tea has been one we keep having every day this season.
  • Alleviate seasonal depression
    Winter has a way of bringing down your mood, with the sun setting sooner and the chilly temperatures creating a reclusive mood. Luckily, tea leaves include an amino acid called L-Theanine, which promotes the production of dopamine and serotonin. Make sure to keep regularly consuming green tea and black tea to support your mood. Also seek ways to support your mind, body and spirit, with exercise and exposure to the sun on the occasional sunny (albeit chilly) winter days.
  • Soothe aches and pains
    Aches and pains throughout the body become more pronounced during winter, because our muscles are contracting and losing heat. Some people may also feel that their joint pain worsens during winter. Having a warm drink can help to counteract some of these pains, while anti-inflammatory properties of many teas reduce joint aches.
  • Slow down, be mindful
    The beauty of slowing down and being mindful allow us to check in with ourselves, emotionally and physically. We like to think of having a cuppa as meditation. From choosing your tea, heating the water, selecting your favourite teacup, and waiting for the herbs to infuse, every moment offers a chance to bask in simple rituals. Being mindful during these motions cultivate clarity of mind, reduce stress, improve our concentration and relax our nervous system.

Our favourite teas for winter wellness

To support your body and mind during winter, find a tea that is perfectly soothing and warming. Here are some of our favourites at Beit e’Shai:

  • The Immunity Organic Herbal Tea
    Our immunity blend is a spicy mixture designed to strengthen the immune system.  Ingredients include Peppermint, Lemon Verbena, Thyme, Ginger and Turmeric, all of which are known for their health benefits. To enjoy, brew at 70ºC for 3–4 minutes, using one heaped teaspoon per cup of water.
  • The Aynar Spice Infusion
    This aromatic and spicy blend promotes blood circulation and warms the body, making it the perfect winter tea. Enjoy the nourishing flavours of Cinnamon, Aniseed and Ginger, best boiled over the stove, then simmered for 8–10 minutes. We recommend serving with walnuts.
  • Homemade Fire Tonic
    To kick things up a notch, make your own fire tonic at home. Place fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper, Sichuan pepper, lemon juice and lime juice all into a jar. Pour apple cider vinegar into the jar until all the ingredients are fully submerged. Stir and cover tightly, letting it sit in your pantry for 6-8 weeks. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large measuring cup, and either discard the solids or use them in your cooking. Rinse out the jar and pour the liquid back into it. Add two tablespoons of honey, shake or whisk, and keep in the fridge. A spoonful will do wonders when you feel a cold coming – otherwise, you can also dilute one or two tablespoons of it in hot water and drink it as a tea.

By integrating tea into your winter rituals, you can carve out a little time to yourself in the chaos of life. Teas you choose can also help ease coughs and colds, boost your immune system, or improve your mood. Whatever your preferred brew, make sure to enjoy it as a regular part of your daily routine to best take care of yourself!