Rebuilding Futures Amidst Genocide: Education’s Role in Anti-Colonial Struggles – ActforPal’s Inaugural Event

The Academic Action Network for Palestine (ActforPal) held its inaugural event on 11 November 2024, uniting scholars and activists to champion Palestinian liberation. Co-chaired by Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University/Jordan) and Dina Matar (SOAS), the event featured inspiring contributions from Robin DG Kelley (UCLA), Rabab Abdulhadi (San Francisco State University), Salim Vally (University of Johannesburg), and ActforPal members Afaf Jabiri (East London University) and Rami Morjan (Islamic University of Gaza).

Speakers highlighted ActforPal’s mission to counter “scholasticide” and rebuild Palestinian higher education free from colonial and neoliberal interference. Jabiri outlined the collective’s vision of education as resistance, while Kelley, Abdulhadi, and Vally underscored the global solidarity needed to challenge erasure and militarism. Speaking from Gaza, Morjan described the devastating toll of genocide on Palestinian education yet affirmed its role as the lifeblood of resistance.
The event ended with a call to action for academics and allies worldwide to support Palestinian education and join ActforPal in its fight for liberation.

Read full press release of the event here

If you missed the event, you can watch it using the links below, available in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.