First of all, my knowledge of the middle east is pretty much empty. I looked at both the video and the website to make sure I have enough information for the visit of the Museum. Most of the information I learned was from the video and I was fascinated by the intricate history and conflict between Israel and Palestine. I never knew about the Zionism movement and that Israel is actually a country established for the purpose to create a homeland of the Jews. I also learned that Palestine is not a country but a state. Both Israel and Palestine people have very strong idea on their goal and that is what keeps the conflict for decades. The history fascinated me a lot, so I was looking forward to visit the museum.
The fact that this is the first Palestine Museum in US shocked me because it is hard to imagine that there wasn’t any museum about this culture before, and it makes me sees the important of maintaining the culture of Palestine. Although the museum wasn’t very big, it definitely contains many essential forms of art. There are all kinds of arts such as abstract painting, realistic paintings, mosaic art, poetry and clothing. These vibrant forms of art includes a lot of modern art styles but at the same time captures the struggles and the tradition of the Palestinians.
The speaker Faisal Saleh was a Palestinian who came to the US. He is very knowledgeable about the history of Palestine and Israel. He summarized the complicated conflict into a version that is easy to understand. Saleh talks about his experience when he was a child. Even though he left his home land and came to the US, he never forgets about preserving the culture he has. Also in recent years the Israel's power becomes the dominant of the war and Palestine is in a passive position. It makes it extremely important to preserve the culture of Palestine.
Although there is only one Palestine museum, I felt glad because one is very different from zero. People are paying more attentions to preserve different cultures around the world and this museum not only maintain the culture but also provides great opportunities for Palestine artists. Once the first step is completed, the next will be much easier.
