Zanana – Sounds of War from the Gaza Strip

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 I present these remixed archive programs as imageless witness,
in which our imaginations may fill in the ‘unimaginable’ forms.

They comprise a series of live streams recorded from Gaza over the past several years, focusing on the sounds of armed surveillance drones known as zanana (buzzing or noise), which hover day and night over the captive Palestinians.
We also hear harrowing testament from photojournalist Jehad al-Saftawi, streamed live during a 2014 Israeli bombing campaign in which 2,100 mostly civilian Palestinians were killed.

There are no terrorist babies in this world,
children are children,
humans are human, and a ‘People’ can not be ‘animals’.
Besides which, we would simply baulk at treating animals the way our politicians treat us. 
TIME FOR CHANGE. 

Images taken from https://www.palestineaction.org UK based activists shutting down UK arms factories feeding on oppression

An AI transcript and translation from the broadcast.

The Ai (whisper) does a remarkable job here, translating other languages, and picking up voices from the noise. It however a little hallucinatory, with the word hallucination used in this context to be and AI making things up rather than reporting nothing...  
This creates a kind of poetry I feel, both typographic, as well as the content, and I then find the struggle tat the AI has in understanding what we are listening too, reflects my own when faced with the horrors of Gaza and the wider Palestinian people, and the context of indifference that the west shows to this obscene and unnecessary cycle of violence and discrimination.    

A group of young boys and girls have gathered in Alcativa Square, located west of Gaza City. Using large pieces of wood, they spell out the word “leave,” hoping that the drone hovering above will capture their message. One partici pant expressed a desire to live without the constant noise of the drones, locally known as “Zanana,” so they could at least sleep peacefully. The term “Zanana” translates to “noise maker” or “buzz,” but is sometimes ominously referred to as the “airplane of death.”

This account is excerpted from a 2014 paper titled “Sleepless in Gaza,” authored by Dr. Atef Abu Saif of Al-Haza University in Gaza. The paper documents the Israeli drone warfare over the Gaza Strip. Since its publication, residents of the Gaza Strip have lived under the incessant hum of 24-hour aerial drone surveillance.

Can you imagine living under such conditions? Constant aerial surveillance by an occupying army, day and night, follows you wherever you go. The ever-present drone not only watches but also holds the potential to fire munitions without warning, capable of destroying buildings, vehicles, and perhaps even you!
This is the very sound of the terror experienced everyday by the people living in the Gaza Strip.

So today on Isotopica, we’ll visit Gaza virtually, and listen to various live streams recorded over the past several years. These streams capture the sounds of military assaults in this civilian area.
To convey the intensity of what I’ve been hearing, I’ll layer multiple versions and different streams.

We’ll also hear a live stream by photojournalist Jehad al-Saftawi, captured during The Israeli bombing campaigns of 2014. In researching this program I recently discovered that he has managed to escape the “open prison” that is the Gaza Strip and is now living and working in America, where he has claimed asylum.

The program ahead is intense, and my emotions range from impotent rage to horror and confusion. I believe no further introduction is necessary. Let’s transition from our places of relative safety to a place of extreme danger, and I’ll meet you on the other side of these deeply unsettling sounds.


Most in Gaza have changed now to its giant rhythm.
Why can’t you be a bad chicken?
The massive explosions now.
Our friends, we cannot sleep.
This is too loud.
We are under attack.
We can hear the explosions and chilling very loud.
I can’t see the shells.
The camera is on the way.
These are the slides and the mumps slides.
I can’t see the shells come down.
I can’t see the shells.
I can’t see the shells.
I can’t see the shells.
This is so close.
I can’t see the shells.
The local media said there are two houses where destroyed, completely in Rafa.
By the Israeli war plans.
These lights and explosions are everywhere now.
This is the time for the people in Gaza.
Who can eat in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can live in this situation?
Who cannot do anything?
Who can pray in this situation? Who can live in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation? Who can pray in this situation
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
Who can pray in this situation?
We are so tired from this. We are so tired. We have the right to live through this experience.
We are so tired from this. We have the right to live through this experience.
We are so tired from this. We have the right to live through this experience.
I can hear some children screaming and crying.
We have the right to live through this experience.
We have the right to live through this experience.
We have the right to live through this experience.
We have the right to live through this experience.
We are under attack.

We are under attack.



We are under attack.
I can hear a sound of babies are crying from this chilling.
The world should know what happens in Gaza.
I don’t know how long my battery is still on. But I will keep covering what happens in Gaza.
Because I need all the people in the whole world to know what we live in every day, every night, every moment.
I am sorry I cannot talk or write with all the people who have spoken with me or write something to me because I put my laptop in the window and I cannot write.

I am sorry my friends.

I am sorry I cannot talk or write with all the people who have spoken with me or write something to me because I put my laptop in the window and I cannot write.

at this point the AI looses it and goes onto an hallucinatory loop of repetition… however, a beautiful one.

There are no more words to say.
There are no more words to say.
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This is a huge explosion.

There are no more words to say.
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There are no more words to say.

This is a huge explosion.

There are no more words to say.
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This is a huge explosion.
There are no more words to say.
There are no more words to say.
There are no more words to say.
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There are no more words to say.
There are no more words to say.
There are no more words to say.

There are no more words to say.


This week we were visiting the Gaza Strip during this week’s invasion by Israel and the civilian population living in Gaza.
There were many layers of live streams that I captured during the week from various sources, which I give a nod and a thanks.
We were also listening to the words of Yehid al-Safdawi, who was a photojournalist living in Gaza, born and lived in Gaza, who has now escaped to America and his photographs are available online.
If you want to know more about the work we do, you can go to theculture.net and find everything there online.
So, as ever, everyone, hopefully please keep safe out there. This is me, Simon Tyszko, saying goodbye for another seven days.
And a quick reminder, perhaps, if you want more details and background on what’s been happening in Gaza, then there could be a very good place to go in Novaramedia.com, our colleagues from Friday afternoon here on Resonance 104.4 FM.
Have a good week, keep safe, and it’s nice to spend time with you on air.
Simon Tyszko saying goodbye. Catch you later.
Thank you for Listening.

tyszko Written by: