Teju Cole is an important emerging American writer. He has written two books about the Nigerian diaspora, he has a twitter feed with 150,000 followers, he was all over NPR this spring, that’s when I learned about him.
Well. Teju Cole is visiting Palestine. Just got there, and: he gets it.
Here’s a tweet from a few minutes ago. “Jerusalem.”
Here’s his first tweet: “King Hussein/Allenby border crossing, the only entry/exit point for Palestinians living in the West Bank.”
Another: The occupation is a waste of time.
This one speaks volumes: “Qalandia checkpoint, between the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”Â
There’s more at the link. I have the distinct impression that whatever Cole’s mainstream ambition, he is not going to temporize about the conditions he’s observing.
Looking forward to more truth- telling; this time from Mr. Cole.
Thanks, Phil!
The photos certainly bring home very powerfully how miserable the rubbish-strewn scene is. The judgement that the occupation is a waste of time is interesting and original.