User:Xxsososaraxx/Watermelon (Palestinian symbol)
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[edit]The article discusses the meaning of the Palestinian watermelon symbol and its origins. The new content added in the article examines the varied roles watermelons play in Palestinian culture, politics, and society. It discusses how watermelons symbolize aspects of national identity, resistance, and cultural preservation. Additionally, it explores scholarly debates, and artistic representations on the significance of watermelons in Palestine.
Article body
[edit]The watermelon is a symbol of Palestinians' public expression in protests and artworks, representing the struggle against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Origins
[edit]The Palestinian flag, colored in the Pan-Arab colors of red, green, white and black, has historically been banned at times in Israel, leading to the locally-grown and similarly-colored watermelon taking its place in Palestinian iconography as an alternative for decades. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel banned the display of the Palestinian flag and its colors in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and annexed East Jerusalem, with the Israeli army arresting anyone who displayed it.
In 1993, as part of the Oslo Accords, Israel lifted the ban on the Palestinian flag. At the time, The New York Times claimed "young men were once arrested for carrying sliced watermelons", but Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour has cast doubt on the validity of these claims. A later editor's note to the article says "Given the ambiguity of the situation, The Times should either have omitted the anecdote or made it clear that the report was unconfirmed." He remembers a conversation about it, but does not recall any actual watermelon iconography being used until 2007, when Khaled Hourani created an image for a "Subjective Atlas of Palestine" project. Other artists who have used the watermelon include Sarah Hatahet, Sami Boukhari, Aya Mobaydeen and Beesan Arafat.
Symbolism:
[edit]Watermelons have undergone a transformation. Originally regarded as a summer meal, they have assumed a broader significance in politics, culture, and society. In Palestine, watermelon symbolizes themes of national unity, resistance against injustice, and the preservation of cultural heritage amidst conflict and war.
The watermelon's red, green, black, and white colors resemble the Palestinian flag. This provides the fruit symbolic importance and shows Palestinian nationalism.[1] Palestinians and others who have studied struggle and art have seen the connection. Due to its resemblance to the flag, the watermelon has gained political significance as a symbol of resistance, pride, and unity.[2]
Watermelon is important to Palestinian culture because of its family and social roots. Fruit symbolizes summer bounty, welcome, and family and friend gatherings, not just its appearance. Traditional cantaloupe eating rituals reflect community and courage in times of trouble. Food is utilized to express cultural and personal identities as well as provide nutrients[3][4]. Watermelon symbolizes a new beginning for Palestinians, boosting national pride.[4]
The watermelon story has also inspired determination and changed how the world views Gaza. The watermelon symbolizes unity and promotes a global Gazan identity.[1] The branding effort is aimed to produce a good impression and highlight the Palestinian people's resilience in the face of war and other hardships. The Watermelon's Symbolic Resistance in Silwan and its various forms, the watermelon symbolizes Palestinian perseverance.[5] Watermelon ownership, display, and discussion can counter injustice and attempts to eradicate Palestinian culture[5].
Scholars have debated the watermelon's negative symbolism and asked how a common fruit could reflect past wrongdoings and the desire for unity and constancy in the present[6]. They consider how a common fruit could symbolize something. Palestinians value the melon beyond its appearance. The flower symbolizes power, personality, and a desire for consistency. Since its construction, it has symbolized freedom and solidarity[6].
The worldwide community knows how vital watermelon is to Palestinian culture and struggle. This draws attention to Palestinians' major issues. Malik, Jan, and Ullah (2023) found that the world's awareness of cultural symbols in combat zones can impact lobbying and cultural and national pride.[7] The cantaloupe symbolizes Palestinian identity, fight, and culture. It symbolizes Palestinian unity, determination, and optimism, making it more than just a fruit. The cantaloupe symbolizes Palestinian identity and defiance due to its cultural, political, and worldwide impact. Cultural symbols impact national identity and worldwide resistance and conflict discourse, therefore studying them from different scholarly perspectives can help us understand them.
Palestinian literature, film, and art depict the watermelon in various ways that reflect its political and cultural history. Watermelon symbolism is essential in Palestinian culture. The Palestinian people want freedom and liberty in many situations, as symbolized by the watermelon. In 2023, filmmakers and artists use the watermelon as a symbol to address resistance, hope, and daily life in Palestine.[2] Their art becomes increasingly sophisticated. New concepts give the emblem more meaning for Palestinians and their communities worldwide. This illustrates the complexity of Palestinian identity and struggle.
Medical professionals are interested in the crop because it has some applications and is important to some civilizations. Plant-virus investigations found that watermelons are vital to farming, revealing the larger consequences of food security and sustainability, particularly in Palestine.[8] Watermelon symbolizes perseverance when the government or environment gets in the way. This metaphor illustrates how society, farming, and sustainability differ in evident ways.
Watermelon also symbolizes cultural blindness and eliminating knowledge[7]. Despite national and cultural restrictions, watermelon symbols are employed in public and private interactions. This intellectual resistance discusses how people must be devoted no matter what due to cultural genocide to maintain continuity and identity throughout occupation and war. The cantaloupe, a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance to culture and genocide, also expresses these feelings.
Watermelons enable Palestine and Gaza establish a worldwide identity. They emphasize branding and strength in their conclusions. This strategic branding effort fosters drive, originality, and cultural expression through a story[1].
Resurgence:
[edit]The watermelon symbol is experiencing a revival, with a growing number of individuals leveraging it, along with watermelon emojis, on various social media platforms[9]. This surge in usage coincides with the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7th.[10] Although "shadow banning," a practice wherein users' posts are concealed without their awareness, may be challenging to detect, advocacy and nonprofit groups focused on digital rights in the Middle East assert that they have observed clear biases, particularly on Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Online users are adopting this symbol to enhance the visibility of their voices and mitigate shadow banning. The watermelon symbol serves as a means to circumvent censorship on social media channels.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Buheji, M., & Hamza, J. (2024). Branding Resilience: Shaping Gaza’s Global Identity through Narrative, Solidarity, and Advocacy. International Journal of Advanced and Multidisciplinary Social Science, 9(1), 1-10.
- ^ a b Murchú, N. Ó. (2023). Coloring Palestine: The Flag Device and Cinematic Motivations in Narrative Movies. Journal of Palestine Studies, 52(1), 21-42.
- ^ Avieli, N., & Markowitz, F. (Eds.). (2023). Eating Religiously: Food and Faith in the 21st Century. Taylor & Francis.
- ^ a b Avieli, N., & Markowitz, F. (2022). “Here I can like watermelon”: culinary redemption among the African Hebrew Israelites. Food, Culture & Society, 25(4), 724-739.
- ^ a b Sabbagh, M. (2022). Sumud: Repertoires of Resistance in Silwan. Public Culture, 34(3), 495-514.
- ^ a b Daniel, M. S. (2023). Lament for Watermelon. Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 17(2), 232-233.
- ^ a b Malik, T., Jan, F., & Ullah, Z. (2023). The epistemicide in Afghanistan: an analysis of Taliban’s policies towards national and cultural symbols. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 7(2), 61-80.
- ^ Fontenele, R. S., Bhaskara, A., Cobb, I. N., Majure, L. C., Salywon, A. M., Avalos-Calleros, J. A., ... & Varsani, A. (2021). Identification of the begomoviruses squash leaf curl virus and watermelon chlorotic stunt virus in various plant samples in North America. Viruses, 13(5), 810.
- ^ Holtermann, Callie (2023-12-27). "Why the Watermelon Emoji Is a Symbol of Support for Palestinians". The New York Times.
- ^ Hassan, Jennifer; Berger, Miriam (November 16, 2023). "Why the watermelon is a symbol for the Palestinian cause". The Washington Post.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Giulia, Carbonaro (12 December 2023). "Meta's social media platforms are systemically censoring pro-Palestine content, NGO finds". Euro News Next.