report: "rapping against walls"

2011-05-14

[de]
in the west bank, dissident voices questioning the palestinian authority's increasingly authoritarian rule have become rare. but a young musician in ramallah refuses to hold his tongue. (...) [read more]

interview: "the neoliberal consensus in palestine"

2011-04-26

[it] [fr]
recently, palestinian economists raja khalidi and sobhi samour published a highly critical article on the palestinian authority's neoliberal policies and its statehood program. they claim that the palestinian authority is offering the palestinians living in the occupied west bank “a program predicated upon delivering growth and prosperity without any strategy for resistance or challenge to the parameters of occupation.” electronic intifada contributor and a-films activist ray smith interviewed raja khalidi. (...) [read more]

report: "nablus stands beautiful and unvisited"

2011-04-24

palestine experiences a boom in tourism, as herds of tourists storm the cities of jerusalem, jericho and bethlehem. meanwhile, the west bank city of nablus, rich in historic and religious sites, hardly attracts visitors. (...) [read more]

report: "palestinians find trade, not an economy"

2011-04-19

[es] [fr]
the palestinian authority is preparing to establish a state in near future. but the palestinian economy remains strongly tied to israel, and manufacturers are struggling to recover from the second intifada. (...) [read more]

activist and friend killed in gaza

2011-04-15

[de] [it]
today, our good friend vittorio arrigoni from north italy was killed in gaza. according to news reports, he was abducted yesterday by a militant islamist group. soon after the abduction, he was awfully killed.
we have known vittorio for many years and collaborated with him in north lebanon and italy. vittorio was an inspiring person with seemingly unlimited energy and motivation. we're shocked and sad.

may our brother rest in peace.

a-films

report: "emergency aid: a means of coercion"

2011-03-02

[de]
a campaign launched in early february criticizes switzerland's emergency aid regime for rejected asylum-seekers as inhuman and violating the basic rights of those concerned. the constitutional right to assistance in emergency situations has become an instrument of migration policy. (...) [read more]

video: "deterred, but still around"

2011-01-30

[de] [it] [fr]
since january 2008, all rejected asylum-seekers in switzerland are only entitled to receive emergency aid ('nothilfe'). it is provided by the cantons in different ways. emergency aid however shouldn't be considered as an assistance, but as an instrument of a policy of deterrence within the framework of 'fighting migration'. the underlying idea is: the more the marginalisation and material deprivation of the illegalised people, the better chance they'll leave switzerland.
for different reasons however, many rejected asylum-seekers don't leave the country, but defy state control and go into hiding. others receive emergency aid and live on the fringe of society for years, while being systematically hassled and marginalized by the authorities. the emergency aid barely ensures the survival of the affected people. and most definitely it doesn't guarantee a dignified life.
with the help of three undocumented migrants, our 25-minute film documents what it concretely means to live under the emergency aid regime. the question why those people have come to switzerland is intentionally blanked out. in our opinion, the question isn't relevant, neither in general nor regarding the discussion of the emergency aid regime.

we thank solidarité sans frontières for supporting this film.

the short documentary can be downloaded here and watched here on youtube.

report: "nahr al-bared reconstruction delay throws civil rights into spotlight"

2010-12-03

more than three years after nahr al-bared refugee camp in the north of lebanon was destroyed, its reconstruction is finally under way. however, the process runs at a slow pace and remains only partially funded as further political obstacles appear on the horizon. meanwhile, the lebanese army continues to maintain a tight grip on the camp's residents and attempts to silence any criticism. (...) [read more]

report: "lebanon pressured to improve palestinians' lot"

2010-11-19

[de]
abu yussif doesn't want to talk about his work any more. "it's not going to help and nothing will change anyway," he says. the tall, white-haired palestinian has just returned from work and relaxes in his little garden in the refugee camp bourj ash-shamali near the southern lebanese city of tyre. abu yussif is a pharmacist. but the massive discrimination against palestinians on the lebanese labour market has forced him to give up his profession and work as a taxi driver. (...) [read more]

report: "a missed opportunity"

2010-08-28

[de]
last week's decision by the lebanese parliament to improve the employment situation of palestinians has gained wide media attention and praise around the world. in fact, however, the reform hardly changes the refugees' dire conditions in lebanon. (...) [read more]