Herban Cura: Bread in Palestine

an online workshop with Amanny Ahmad, 4/14

Hey, Wordloafers! I am still plugging away at my book draft, which is taking a whole lot longer than I expected it to, but I’m getting close to returning here soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about an online workshop happening this Sunday 4/14, from 3-5PM that I hope you’ll attend. It’s called Bread in Palestine, and it is hosted by Herban Cura and taught by

Amanny Ahmad

.

Here’s the description:

Join Herban Cura and Amanny Ahmad in their upcoming knowledge share to learn about the history of wheat in the Levant, its connection to current global food systems, the use of land and food as a weapon against colonized peoples, and more.

Bread is sacred, bread is holy, bread is life. In Palestine, and in Islamic society in general, bread is treated with reverence. Much of the world’s population relies upon wheat as a core element of their diets, and so, throughout history, many horrors have been linked to wheat and more specifically, bread. This has significant global implications as wheat fields occupy more land than any other food crop; life or death waits for whichever population is given access to or deprived of it. The most recent ongoing Israeli campaign against Gazan civilians has included the systematic targeting and destruction of all of Gaza’s bakeries, mills, farmland, and the UNRWA food storage facilities that provide 2 out of every 3 bags of flour, and has extended to include at least 6 official “Flour Massacres” of civilians murdered as they have been waiting to receive aid. The now eradicated bread infrastructure was previously the backbone of sustenance and life for the 2.2 million people who have lived under a siege and blockade by Israel for almost 2 decades. In this knowledge share, we will learn about the history of wheat in the Levant, its connection to current global food systems, and the use of land and food as a weapon against colonized peoples. We will learn how people have shaped the wheat, and in turn the wheat shaped the dough, the land and the people, far beyond the imaginary borders imposed by colonizers.

Hope to see some of you there. (If you cannot attend live, there will be a recording available for 30 days.)

—Andrew