Mission Statement
Al-Juthoor ("Roots" in Arabic) is a dabke troupe based in Oakland, California that raises awareness of Arab and Palestinian struggle, culture, and art. Dabke is a dance form practiced throughout the Arab world.
Al-Juthoor aims to empower our community and youth to take pride in our heritage and culture by honoring our history and celebrating our resistance to occupation. Across the borders of our diaspora, we assert our community’s connection and deep roots in the land and to the people throughout the Arab world and SWANA region.
Al-Juthoor believes that our culture and arts are inseparable from our very existence and are a form of resistance to oppression and settler colonialism. Dabke is more than just a celebratory event; it is an assertion of our identity and a practice of cultural resistance against the colonial project of erasure and dispossession.
Our songs and movements aim to tell the story of our people and express our aspirations for dignity and liberation. Our art-making draws from the stories of our people in their olive groves and villages, and is inspired by their struggle and steadfastness against those who seek to dispossess them.
In addition, Al-Juthoor understands the connections between struggles throughout history and across borders. We seek to build relations with other artistic and cultural projects aligned with our mission and aspirations.
Through our cultural practice and art-making in the diaspora, we endeavor to collaborate and build with Indigenous peoples and people from all cultures and backgrounds who use art and culture as a tool for justice and liberation.
None of us are free until we’re all free.
WE SHALL RETURN!
PACBI
Al-Juthoor firmly supports the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and urges other performance, dance, and arts organizations to heed its call. PACBI is one tactic among many aimed at pressuring the occupation and furthering the goals of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS). As organizers, artists, and cultural workers for the Palestinian cause, we are honored to make this pledge, setting a precedent for other arts organizations to learn more and follow suit. Following the PACBI guidelines, we will begin and/or continue to:
- Refuse to participate in programs or collaborations that have received funding from Israeli state institutions.
- Refuse to work or collaborate with institutions that seek to whitewash and normalize Israel’s violations of international law.
- Call on cultural workers, dancemakers, artists, and institutions to sign onto PACBI, especially those with greater power.
- Insist that those who benefit from Palestinian culture and dance prioritize its liberation as inherent to its form.
This boycott serves to distance Al-Juthoor from any activities, institutions or funding that promote Zionist ideology. This is not a boycott of individuals based on their identity such as citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, or religion. Learn more about BDS and PACBI here.