The Voice of a Condor opens with Reverend Naim Ateek's humorous anecdote about Americans who are unaware that Christianity “was born” in Palestine and that there are, in fact, Christian Arabs. Even in academic circles, discussion of Palestinians tends to focus narrowly on the Muslim Palestinians in Israel and residents of the occupied territories or refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Christian Palestinians once comprised more than ten percent of the population, but their numbers have been declining in the Holy Lands for more than a century. Today, they represent less than two percent of the population.
Where have they gone? Surprising to most, Christian Palestinians, like Christians from Syria and Lebanon, began emigrating toward the end of the nineteenth century, when they were “citizens” of the Ottoman Empire. While Palestinians settled in Honduras and Peru, the greatest number made Chile their new home. Today their 350,000 descendants make up the largest Palestinian diaspora community and retain strong connections with their ancestral home. The group's cohesion stems from its origins in three adjacent villages: Bait Jala, Bethlehem, and Bait Sahour.
El Attar's film introduces this community, its history, and its contemporary religious and political roles in Chile. Her work is groundbreaking. Of the nearly 1,800 films in the Middle East Studies Association database, none addresses the exodus of Christian Arabs or their adaptation to new societies.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chilean society comprised indigenous and European cultures. Palestinian emigrants joined this mix. Like most new settlers, these Arabs left their homeland to seek economic opportunity and financial security. The Palestinians were industrious and successful businessmen and shopkeepers, but as film clips suggest, their distinct culture made them a novelty and objects of ridicule. But if language, diet, and dress set Palestinians apart, being Christian certainly aided in their integration into the predominantly Catholic Chilean society. The Greek Orthodox Church was, and to a degree remains, the heart of the Christian Palestinian community. The church is a cultural center, and some sermons are given in Spanish and Arabic. Despite these ties, many Palestinians converted to Catholicism so their children could enroll in parochial schools.
Palestinian identity has also been fostered by local institutions. The Palestinian Students Union is an important university-based group, especially since many Palestinian Chileans are fourth or fifth generation and could easily have lost touch with their cultural roots. There are also Arabic schools, social clubs, and the popular first division football team, Santiago's Palestino. This sports club is singled out as the most important point of identity for many.
As predominantly Christian, Palestinian Chileans were early supporters of the Christian Democratic Party and, through this affiliation, became active in politics. Of the 158 seats in the bicameral government, twenty are currently held by people of Palestinian descent. Moreover, Chile has been a supporter of Palestinian statehood and UN membership. The government has taken a stand against Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and the separation wall.
Chile also has a significant Jewish population, and the film also examines Palestinian–Israeli relations. The Jewish Students Union parallels the Palestinian Students Union. The groups have opposing political views but coexist—a model the film suggests for a two-state solution. In Chile, coexistence and friendship exist on a personal but not an institutional basis. Palestinian Chileans say that they do not recognize Jewish actions on an institutional level.
The Voice of a Condor, like a good ethnography, introduces a lot of material. El Attar wisely divides her film into titled sections. Most of the information is presented through interviews, but the diversity of speakers—men, women, old, and young—keeps this from becoming a series of talking heads. The director also makes excellent use of archival photographs. Clips from Miguel Littin's fictional drama La Ultima Luna contribute helpful images of life in pre-emigration Palestine and in Chile. Contemporary images create a solid picture of Palestinian Chileans.
The Voice of a Condor introduces a complex, timely, and unique topic. El Attar's main point is that Palestinians abroad have become better spokespeople for their cause than those in the Middle East, and their model ought to be followed. This is an important point and ought to be more fully developed. The film would be useful in classes on the Middle East, religion, emigration, and the Palestine–Israeli conflict.
