ARTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
the Ministry of Cultural Heritage , the Italian Minister of Equal Opportunities , and the Italian Minister of Youth , indicating the political and economic clout the LPA had built back home based on its interventions in Palestine . Michele , who represented the Ma ‘ had to the LPA , was aware of the LPA ’ s interests and mistrustful of their intentions , most especially their lucrative alignment with the mandates of the peace economy .
The clash between opposing ideological frameworks was further complicated by the meanings and subtexts attached to discourses circulating during the event ’ s production . These were borne of a mixture of local and global politics , the coupling of a religious event with an entertainment economy , and the diverse agendas and identity politics of subjectivities involved . Tensions percolating during the event ’ s planning stages only intensified during the rehearsal period . Michele was vexed when he found out the producers were organizing a pilgrimage tour for the concert in which their fares indicated they would be making a substantial profit over local hotel prices . He was further angered when the producers tried to cut costs by resisting equal fund allocations for local Palestinian soloists and imported talent and later , by attempting to substitute falafel sandwiches for the real meals promised to the orchestra members . For Michele , these moves manifested a cynical exploitation of pilgrims and a racialized , neocolonial disposition towards Palestinians .
Contestation over ideologies and economic considerations soon spilled over into aesthetic domains . Michele was furious when the LPA ’ s Italian artistic director claimed the PYO was not up to performance standards , as he felt that the LPA had not budgeted enough rehearsal time for the program ’ s length . Many among the Ma ‘ had felt the LPA ’ s artistic director ’ s aesthetic choices were often designed to achieve high TV ratings rather than showcase artistic merit . Besides the classical repertoire the PYO was accustomed to , the program included symphonic adaptations of popular standards such as the Beatles ’ “ Let it Be .” The choice of featuring Italian teen protégés as soloists — including a veteran of io Canto ( a music variety show akin to American Idol )— also pointed to the production ’ s market orientation . Of such decisions Michele commented disdainfully , “ We ’ ve had Berlusconi TV aesthetics in Italy for a really long time now !” And Liz , the ESNCM ’ s principal violinist , found these choices depressing , as one of the reasons she loved teaching in Palestine was not having to participate in the kinds of cheesy productions entailed in being a member of a Belgian symphonic orchestra trying to cross over into popular domains .
In short , the Ma ‘ had ’ s dealings with the LPA over logistics , and the LPA ’ s choices of soloists , repertoire , and aesthetics , only reinforced the Ma ‘ had ’ s assumption that the LPA represented a neocolonial exploitation of the “ peace industry ” and the Holy Land , rather than philanthropic goodwill or a guileless peace-oriented agenda . As highlighted above , negotiating these tensions is daily fare for all Palestinian cultural organizations , which are dependent on an aid economy attached to advancing the defunct “ peace process ,” but seek to define their own terms of representation ( see Laïdi-Hanieh , 2006 ).
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