The Palestinian musician: how an artist makes a living in the West Bank

Palestinian artists find themselves in a unique category unlike any other cultural group. For the past 73 years, Palestinian musicians in the West Bank have had to learn to create and disseminate their work under the barriers of Israel’s military occupation. In accordance with this statement, “art authenticates the human in humanity and the need for art is fundamental to human existence,” I explore the daily lives of several musicians currently living in the West Bank and share their experiences, struggles, and triumphs as musicians. There is little writing and discourse about popular Palestinian music and musicians in the international community. While Palestine is a regular headline across multiple media, artists are rarely found in the spotlight. This paper will address the lack of information while attempting to understand the many layers of the Palestinian popular music scene. This paper will attempt to answer how Palestinian artists financially support themselves and find creative outlets to showcase their music. Lastly, it will identify the factors of the occupation that influence the livelihood of Palestinian musicians and collect data on how an artist is able to produce, fund, and create music under such influences.