“As Palestinians, we have no luxury of isolating ourselves from the genocide happening in Palestine,” Nabil declared. Photo by Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb
SAN BERNARDINO — A prominent Palestinian activist, Ahmad Nabil, argued in a recent speech that imagination is a powerful tool of resistance and healing in the face of oppression.
Speaking at the Centre for Global Innovation at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Nabil emphasized the role of imagination in Palestinian resilience amid the ongoing War.
“As Palestinians, we have no luxury of isolating ourselves from the genocide happening in Palestine,” Nabil declared. “Therefore, Imagination has long been our lifeline allowing us to transcend the traumas inflicted by the oppressive Israeli occupation.” The activist, who is also the founder and director of The Fiction Council in Jerusalem, a trauma-focused organization, argued that creative expression is essential for Palestinians to cope with the harsh realities of war.
Drawing from historical examples, Nabil underscored how imagination has played a key role in resilience throughout history. He referenced the etymology of “zombies,” which originated from the Congo word Nzambi—meaning God—to illustrate how the enslaved Congolese people detached themselves from the trauma of oppression through imaginative concepts. In a similar way, The Fiction Council helps Palestinians tap into their imagination as a form of resistance and healing.
The Fiction Council, founded in 2015, has been active in bringing imaginative solutions to trauma-ridden communities in Palestine. Nabil explained that the organization encourages the affected individuals to express their emotions through imaginative stories, even embracing narratives that may seem “crazy” or unconventional. “It has always been our intention to create space for the ‘seemingly crazy imagination,’ especially those that the communities fail to acknowledge or accommodate,” Nabil noted during his address.
The Fiction Council is a Jerusalem-based, community-oriented nonprofit organization that aims to preserve Palestinian intangible heritage. The organization works with youth and the broader community to explore and develop creative narratives inspired by Palestinian folktales, superstitions, and ancient legends. Accordingly, The Fiction Council helps bridge the gap between Palestinians and their ancestral stories by reconnecting the community with its imaginative heritage, which Nabil describes as “the ultimate tool for change.”
Nabil, a Palestinian visual artist and researcher, focuses on Arab and Islamic mythology and paranormal phenomena. He seeks to explore their ties to the land and their role in preserving collective memory. Since founding The Fiction Council, he has dedicated his efforts to ensuring that Palestinian imagination remains a driving force for cultural preservation and social transformation.
Nabil’s powerful words are a testament that while Palestinians cannot escape the reality of war, they can still use their creativity to transform and heal.
