Memo For Arna's Children

Case Memo for Arna’s Children Colonization is a term that many are familiar with, understanding its connotations and historical significance. The film Arna’s Children addresses issues of the violence that is tied to not only colonization, but decolonization itself. The film explores the experiences of several boys in Jenin refugee camp located in the West Bank of Palestine. Fanon’s (2003) theory of decolonization inevitably being violent is shown through Arna’s Children by the children’s actions later in life. However, there are limitations to applying this theory, as the conflict is still ongoing. Throughout the film we see Arna subtly hint toward the use of violent tactics as a way to create change. Arna encourages Ala to act out the anger he feels by envisioning Arna as the Israeli Army and physically hurting her. She also uses other acting exercises that involve the children targeting their rage in a very specific, pointed way toward the Israeli Army. Although children who have

In the opening scenes we see the children very happy in the theater doing shows. Then as teenagers they are interviewed by an Israeli news crew and many boys express the desire to become a famous actor one day. After Arna dies there is no one to hold the theater together and the children start to see that the theater did not do much to help drive out the Israeli Army from their homes. Fanon describes decolonization as a historical event and the children have lived through enough history to understand their situation. Although the children were not alive for the initial invasion, they were witnesses to both intifadas and know the violence that accompanied the changes. As the children grow older they realize a crucial point of Fanon’s theory, that decolonization “implies the urgent need to thoroughly challenge the colonial