Amid
Power Cuts In
Gaza, Arab
Idol
Assaf Rocks
UN, Sponsor in
the Wings
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 26 --
Last night at
the UN the
Gazan singer
Mohammed Assaf
triggered
dancing in the
ECOSOC Chamber
with his hit
"Raise the
Koufiyeh."
Today he held
a press
conference in
the UN,
flanked with a
promoter from
MBC
Television.
It
was said from
the beginning
that questions
should be
limited to
Assaf's roles
a Goodwill
Ambassador for
the UN Relief
and Works
Agency for
Palestine
Refugees
(UNRWA).
Inner City
Press noted
that
outgoing UNRWA
Commissioner
General
Filippo Grandi
recently spoke
about the lack
of fuel for
the power
plant in Gaza.
Further
research
found this
lack has led
to children
walked in raw
sewage in Az
Zeitoun in
Gaza.
The
first
question,
though, went
to Pamela Falk
of UNCA and
CBS (if they
cover this),
who asked a
fawning
question about
Assaf
returning to
Gaza to
inspire the
youth. Another
of his
promoters
spoke of an
apartment in
Dubai, tours
of the US. On
the podium the
man from MBC
touted his
company's
affiliation
with Al
Arabiya,
linking itself
to
Arab youth and
even, it
seemed to the
"Arab Spring."
There
have been
American
musicians
who've held UN
press
conferences,
but
not with the
on-stage
participation
of their
promoters
network. This
is called an
advertisement,
in most
places.
Assaf
told a funny
story of how
he pressed to
get into the
Arab Idol
contest in
Cairo. (The new
Cairo of Sissi
and its impact
on Gaza
is,
of course,
another topic,
one deemed off
limits for the
MBC press
conference.)
The
moderator
called on
Inner City
Press but
another
journalist, a
former
UNCA
president,
insisted on
grabbing the
floor. Due to
the
insistence, video
here at 31:35,
Inner City
Press didn't
cede but
rather asked
its Gaza
power and
sewage
question
quickly,
without taking
the time UNCA
did
to say, thank
you on behalf
of the Free UN
Coalition for
Access. In
fact, FUNCA's
focus on this
press
conference is
on the
commercialization.
Assaf
answered that
infrastructure
is not UNRWA's
job, but
donors should
come forward.
Fair enough.
We wish him
well. Watch
this site.
, 
