The new hipsters among Israel's Palestinian citizens: Dancing through the culture clash

A new generation of Palestinian Arabs is growing up in Israel, a new alternative subculture is shrugging off years of fighting for its survival and a traditional image. At the center of this revival is liberal Haifa. From the city, tattooed arms are stretching out throughout the country with bands, bars, parties and everything else that comes with cultural renewal and alternative lifestyles - usually more associated with places like Berlin, New York or Tel Aviv.

“We’re a new generation, less religious and very developed,” declares Lena Bader, 19, who came to Haifa from the Arab town of Kafr Qasem northeast of Tel Aviv and is now a first year fashion design student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. “It’s a generation that wants to express how it feels through both clothing and a way of life. Every year there are more people. Kafr Qasem is a very religious place where everyone shares the same ideas. When you’re born there, every stage of your life is planned for you. As a feminist, it’s hard for me when women lack control, and are expected to stay at home and produce children. My mom, for example, who owns two pharmacies - it’s clear that she deserves more than that. I don’t want to be stuck at home.”

The change is also clear when it comes to fashion. “I’m not into evening dresses and feminine clothing, I prefer vintage and men’s clothes,” she says. “I like my dad’s clothing best. As a designer, I would like to fuse traditional Arab arts and modern design to create a new style.” After our conversation, she sent me the following text message: “You asked where my rebelliousness comes from. So, it comes from a search for love.”

Haifa cinematpgrapher Ayed Fadel, 26, is a member of the Jazar Crew entertainment and art collective, which organizes Arab music performances, and has been operating for three years now. Jazar, which in Arabic means carrot, conveys the group's maxim: that "there is life in the underground."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.560904

Really interesting piece, I think.