I am a strong believer in nonviolent civil disobedience as a tactic to end systemic oppression. That being said, I have a confession to make. After watching the Academy Award nominated documentary film “5 Broken Cameras” I recognize more than ever before that nonviolence is easier said than done and has a certain level of privilege attached to it. Let me explain.

Emad Burnat, co-director of “5 Broken Cameras”, is a Palestinian peasant farmer from the West Bank village of Bil’in and has four young children, all boys, and a Palestinian wife who grew up in Brazil. He had no prior filming experience when he bought his first camera in 2005, the year his youngest son, Gibreel, was born. That year also marked the beginning of  Bil’in’s weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation fence which cut deep into Palestinian land. Burnat began filming the protests f which are often shown through the eyes of Gibreel whose childhood is defined by Isreal’s separation fence. Burnat’s cameras are routinely destroyed by Israeli soldiers and jewish settlers as he films, hence the title “5 broken cameras”.  Read More