We here at Generator endorse the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) as we collectively work to end oppression and genocide of the people of Palestine.
“Cultural institutions are part and parcel of the ideological and institutional scaffolding of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid against the Palestinian people. Israeli cultural institutions (including performing art companies, music groups, film organizations, writers’ unions and festivals) have cast their lot with the hegemonic Zionist establishment in Israel, and notwithstanding the efforts of a handful of principled individual artists, writers and filmmakers, these institutions are clearly implicated in supporting, justifying and whitewashing Israel’s occupation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights.”
Why Committing to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is Important to Generator
Supporting PACBI aligns with Generator’s core values of Anti-Oppression, Intersectionality and Social Justice; Accountability; and Solution-Focused and Iterative practices. We are committed to creating safe(r) spaces by actively unlearning colonial biases and reframing conversations to support justice.
A Future of Liberation
We advocate for Palestinian rights and dignity. We value the international laws set up to protect the most vulnerable. We recognize the International Court of Justice rulings that highlight the plausibility of Israel’s genocide and illegal occupation of Palestinian land, and ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials for crimes against humanity. Numerous reputable human rights organizations, from Amnesty International to The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, have also declared that Israel is committing genocide.
Our stance represents a principled opposition to the specific apartheid policies and institutional structures of the State of Israel that oppress Palestinian people. Our position focuses on systems rather than individuals.
We dream of a future where Palestinians and all people can live with security, dignity, and self-determination. Where liberation is a concrete reality.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is inspired by the campaigns that helped end South African apartheid, explicitly rejects all forms of racism and racial discrimination, including, amongst others, anti-Black racism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism. As they write on their website: “Racism and racial discrimination are the antithesis of freedom, justice and equality.”
We commit to:
Abstaining from the use of products that invest in the ongoing genocide in Palestine;
Engaging in conversations with sector-specific organizations that receive and benefit from the ongoing genocide in Palestine, to raise awarness on how systems of oppression are intertwined in the North American arts context
Continue creating low-barrier opportunities for artists and organizations in values-led practices that center equity.
For more information about PACBI, please visit https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi
ig: @theatre4palestinianvoices
In Solidarity,
The Generator Staff (Patricia Allison, Bianca Guimarães, Nikki Shaffeeullah and Taranjot Bamrah)
with the support of the Generator Board.