Spore Hosts: Naila and the Uprising – A Story of Love, Family and Freedom

The film Naila and the Uprising takes place in the time of the first Intifada around 1987--the uprising of the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank against the Israeli occupation. A young woman decides to do the impossible, to be a freedom fighter, a wife and a mother. This has painful consequences for her and not just for her alone. Naila is the embodiment of a generation that saw itself as part of the freedom movement and reacted accordingly, leading, organizing and co-deciding.  

The film reveals one of the most impressive chapters of the women's movement in Palestine under occupation and describes their struggle on various fronts, politically and socially. The lessons of the first Intifada go far beyond this period. The failures and frustrations of the Intifada's goals have influenced the course of modern Palestinian history to this day. The consolidation of patriarchal structures in society and the catastrophic political developments are just two examples of this failure. Nonetheless, there is an unbroken will to continue fighting for Palestinian freedom and an unyielding resilience against the occupation with an infinite willingness to make sacrifices. 

  
Discussion topics include the following questions:  

• What was the first Intifada? What have been the preconditions for it? 
• Who took part in the first Intifada? 
• What role did women play in the first Intifada? 
• What struggles has the Palestinian woman had to face? 
• Does the Palestinian woman’s struggle for social and national rights have an international dimension? And if so, what  does it look like?