My name is Faeza Delawala, I am a Palestinian, just like 33 000 Palestinians, I also am an orphan.
Today I would like to try and convince you to turn around and forge a path with me. Why did I come to you, you may ask, because you would understand.
Please walk with me while I tell you what happened to me today…
Everyday I wait for my dad to return from work as I know how dangerous it is, and everyday, like clockwork, he will take his shoes out before entering the house and kiss my mom, my brother and I on the forehead, I think he did this because he was grateful that there was still a living family he could come back home to. But today, he did not come back, my father, got shot, on the forehead.
Since abba left us, my mother had to go out to get bread for us, but my brother and I knew how dangerous it is for a woman with no accompanying man to go out, so we decided to go with her.
An Israeli soldier pushed my mother on the floor, my brother tried to fight back, but instead he got shot. I stood in front of my mother and threw stones at the soldier with hopes that he would leave us alone but he pushed me away and shot my mother, its as if she knew that these were going to be her last moments because as the soldier walked up to us, just like dad, she kissed my brother and I on the forehead and recited the kalimah, this is a prayer Muslims recite when they feel like they are returning to God.
I was left alone, just like Khaled Nabhan 1978, Ali Hashem 1993, Malik Wasim 2002, Reem Kasis 2023 and many more.
“Do not go where the path may lead you, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today, we stand at such a crossroads, faced with the imperative to forge a new path towards justice and liberation for the Palestinians. In the annals of history, there are moments that demand courage, vision, and bold action, this moment is one of them. So my South Africans, you understand my pain right, I share it with your ancestors we both have been denied our most basic rights and freedoms. But today, you have an opportunity to chart a different course, to break free from the chains of injustice and forge a path with me, with my people.
My name is Faeza Delawala, and just like 2.3 Million Palestinian people I too need your help. Please will you keep on walking with me, I alone, am not strong enough.
She tries to include Palestine in her daily life wherever possible, this speech is an example. Faeza was invited to participate in senior public speaking event and achieved a tough Second place. She will be competing against other schools with the same speech, with hopes that it will change the hearts of others.
- Faeza Delawala’s Speech - April 27, 2024