Fast Times in Palestine author Pamela Olson Draws Large Crowd in Rochester
By Darlene Coffman
On October 29, 2013 in the Fireside Room of a church in downtown Rochester, the MNBBC Rochester Chapter and the SE MN Alliance of Peacemakers (SEMNAP) hosted author Pamela Olson in a presentation based on her memoir: Fast Times in Palestine: An Affair with a Homeless Homeland. She had spoken earlier in the day to a receptive audience of 80 high school students and their instructors at a private high school. For a city the size of Rochester (110,000) an audience of over 60 people attending the evening event may not sound impressive, but at past events on Palestine, half that number was considered a satisfactory turnout.
Why the larger turnout? As one of the organizers said, “There seemed to be such positive vibes in the air–I could feel it even before the program started.” Had people come because they had checked out the author’s website where they found excerpts from her memoir and saw the awards and reviews her book had received? We included her website on all communications, including the ad in the newspaper that one of the committee paid for; otherwise, there had been no other media coverage even though both the newspaper and local TV stations had been notified. Quite a few people arrived with other friends or family. On their evaluations many indicated they came because they had been invited by a friend. Had the friend seen one of the 60 flyers that one member had delivered to houses of worship and business establishments, or had the friend received one of the 100 flyers that another member distributed in his neighborhood? A group of women from the local Mosque seemed pleased and grateful for the program; one woman wished it had been presented in the public high schools. One couple had been to Palestine in recent years and another was leaving soon on a trip there.
Whatever their reason for coming, they received Pamela Olson’s best effort at providing a “sophisticated understanding of the Israel/Palestine conflict in a way that [was] enjoyable and accessible to all.” She related her experiences and observations gathered over a two and one-half year period in the West Bank where she shared in the everyday life of Palestinians living under the Occupation—but not defined by it. Her pictures and descriptions of the Israeli government’s system of cruelty (especially in Gaza) should shock and enrage any audience, but Ms Olson wants us to know that such oppression has not squeezed the life force out of the Palestinians. In spite of all the check points and fences, and the incidents of violence, terror, and murder, the rhythm of life in the West Bank somehow goes on with its hospitality, special foods, harvests, celebrations, and enjoyment of the moment.
From the point of view of the organizers, the event reinforced the importance of the BDS movement and the MNBBC focus of it. We would like to think that the larger turnout is evidence of a growing consciousness of the “facts on the ground” in Palestine, and a growing intolerance of them. On one point we can be certain: we owe gratitude to the Palestinians (and the Israelis who companion them) whose nonviolent resistance and remarkable resilience model for us: to exist is to resist.
Note: Pamela Olson is currently working on a sequel to her memoir; Palestine, D.C.