Barcelona-based record label Paralaxe Editions has released a new fundraising compilation via Bandcamp, titled For Palestine.
Spanning 64 tracks, all proceeds from the release will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières, the charity which is currently working to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It features new tracks by the likes of claire rousay, KMRU, The Soft Pink Truth, Azu Tiwaline, Cucina Povera, Not Waving, Penelope Trappes and Flora Yin-Wong, among others.
In a note on the compilation’s Bandcamp listing, Dania Shihad, Paralaxe Editions’ co-founder, said: "My name is Dania and I run the Paralaxe Editions label. Outside of this, I am also an Emergency Medicine doctor and an Arab in the diaspora. Growing up, Palestine was a frequent topic of conversation in my home. What is happening now is not a new conflict. The horrific images we are currently seeing in Gaza are simply the latest manifestation of an oppressive system that dates back decades. I’m usually a private person, but as a doctor, a woman and an Arab whose whole life was uprooted by war and Western imperialism, leaving me displaced from my homeland, I feel compelled to act in the face of a situation that seems increasingly dire by the day.
"Looking to make some kind of positive contribution, I’ve reached out to friends, colleagues and fellow artists from a variety of geographic, social and ethnic backgrounds, asking if they would donate some of their music to a fundraiser compilation.
"All proceeds will go to Médecins Sans Frontières. This charity has been chosen as the benefactor as I am not only familiar with their mission statement and field work, but many of my medical colleagues have directly worked with the organisation in different locations around the globe. MSF currently has doctors and staff on the ground in Gaza, and they are actively working to treat patients and get desperately needed supplies across the border."
Gaza has been under what has been described as a "complete siege" since October 9, two days after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a string of surprise attacks on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,400 people. Among those killed were 260 people who had attended the psytrance festival Supernova. The militant group also took a number of hostages.
Gaza’s access to electricity, food and medical and water supplies was subsequently cut off by the Israeli Government two days after Hamas’ attack, impacting a population of 2.3 million people, nearly half of whom are children. A daily bombardment of deadly air attacks by Israel on Gaza has followed since, with the number of Palestinians killed in these assaults now standing at more than 9,000 according to Gaza’s health ministry.
