Isa was very hesitant to share his painful memories around the Nakba and living in exile but near the end of his interview he revealed he was also a poet. As he passionately recited some of his poems, we heard about his journey from Palestine to the diaspora. Bikfeena Daw al Nujoom was inspired by his poems “Longing for Jerusalem” and “The Awesome Silence”. The intention of the song was to tell the story of a wandering poet who uses prose to memorialize his homeland. The English chorus hook “step in line and dance the whole way home” references Isa’s description of dabke dancing in which he likens it to Palestinian determination. Traditional song and dance can be very healing for those living in diaspora, temporarily transporting them back to a specific time and place: in this case, the village of Lifta prior to the Nakba in 1948. The Arabic chorus hook refers to Isa’s hopeful outlook despite the grim reality. Isa’s beautifully eloquent words are quoted verbatim in one of the Arabic verses (English translation can’t do it justice).The title of the song refers to Isa’s detailed memories of Lifta and how he wouldn’t need anything but the light of the stars to find his way home.
The video piece incorporates images of Isa’s village, Lifta after the 48 war, set in a 3D space. As the camera slowly zooms in we find ourselves lost in an endless maze of partially destroyed large stone houses frozen in time. Suhel and Omnia repeatedly appear within the homes singing, reigniting life into the ghostly village.
