Katibeh Khamseh

I posted before on Sling Shot Hip Hop, the excellent movie on Palestinian rap. Many people do not like hip hop, especially hip hop in Arabic. I will not argue that, but even if you dislike it, you must listen at least once to Katibeh 5 (Katibeh khamseh), a group of Palestinian youth from the Burj el Barajneh camp in Lebanon. Their new album: Ahla fik bil moukhayamat (welcome to the camps) is pretty good, but there is one song I particularily like. I'll let you guess why. It is called Jam`iyyat (it means organizations, but the term is used to refer to NGOs). My translation of extracts from the lyrics

"Jam`iyyat
Jam`iyyat
We're burning them again
From inside Katibeh khamseh
So that they work better

They got the money of the nation
What they put in they take back
They're the pimps of our time
Oh yes pimps

People are dying
Even the wife
Made an organization of thieves
My brothers behind my back are smuggling my money
I am calling for resilience
A knife in my back is burying me in silence
....
How to make your organization to survive in these times:
First: read about human rights and memorize a bit of vocabulary
Second: Evaluate the sad situation and list the causes
Third: (I can really make out what he says here)
Fourth: Accept the offer without reading the goals
Fifth: kill your humanity and your conscience
... (more listing here)
and finally: (you'll get) the joy of treason and the martyrdom of the cause..."