Slingshot

I found the film on Palestinan Hip-Hop very intersting. Hip-hop was used to adress the opinions of the people living in places like Gaza. They talked about their cultural history about how Isralians came and pushed the Palestines into a confined area. There doesnt seem to be very many jobs or things for people to do in Gaza, so some people, like the main characters, make music for a living.

I noticed that the more powerful underground American Hip-hop artists influenced these artists. They listened to some such as Tupac, MosDef, and Atmosphere. I think they might have listened to these people and seen how they had made a difference, and thought that they could do the same. I don’t know much about the Arab culture, but what I’ve seen from the video, it seems that they are pretty laid back. I’m only saying this because I was surprised about how the artists parents reacted when asked about what they thought about their sons making music all of the time.

Women in the Arab culture seem to be more restricted. I thought that the lady singer should have gone on stage and performed, but then I realized that some people actually could have been serious about hurting their family and friends. I realized that they would not be protected, like someone might be protected here in the United States.

All in all I thought it was a powerful and moving independent film, and I actually learned a lot.