De schande vanGaza - MartijnLauwens
BOOK PRESENTATION | A Palestinian evening with speakers and music
More than twenty years ago, Martijn Lauwens traveled to Israel for the first time. He was immediately fascinated: “This seemed like a country with a heartbeat, a driving force that inspired everyone.” But gradually, by returning often and wanting to discover everything with an open mind, he also got to know “the other side.” And he understood how fundamentally unbalanced the entire situation in historic Palestine is.
Today, he is deeply outraged by the insane horror that Israel has unleashed on the Gaza Strip. By how decades of oppression, dehumanization, colonization, and occupation have resulted in ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and ultimately genocide. And by how our leaders have allowed all this to happen. Or rather, how they were and are actively complicit.
In his first book, De schande van Gaza, the author uses personal anecdotes to show the bigger picture, documenting facts and telling stories. This is not a typical history book, but an essay, a tirade, and a dive into madness. It is intended for those who are angry, but also for those who are uncertain. The central message is this: once you have seen injustice, you can never unsee it.
Martijn Lauwens works as editor-in-chief at De Morgen. When he writes articles for that newspaper, they are always about Israel-Palestine. During the book presentation, he will explain why he ‘had’ to write this book and what his goal was in doing so. He will explain why he believes Gaza is the greatest shame of our time and what needs to be done to turn the tide.
The evening will be dedicated to Palestinian solidarity, with Palestinian music, testimonials, and the opportunity to donate to emergency aid in Gaza.