Here is an archival look at what Palestinian activists were doing in Vancouver in 1976. A Palestine Liberation Organization PLO delegation was attending the UN Habitat Conference, after several attempts to block their participation. The local community organized several events to bring the Palestinian voice to a broader sector of Canadian society, from films and exhibits to a major public meeting that highlighted Shafiq al-Hout as the keynote speaker and poetry by Mahmoud Darwish. In 1976, the PLO actually represented the concepts in its own name, and was labeled as “terrorist” by imperialist forces; this is why it was an achievement for the delegation to even make it to Vancouver at all. Check out these old documents which include an announcement, the original agenda for the public meeting and the introductory speech; they will give a sense of the spirit and sumoud that characterized the work of that decade.
