Kofia (band)
| Company type | Musical ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1972 in Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Founder | George Totari |
| Headquarters | Gothenburg , Sweden |
Key people | George Totari, Michel Kreitem, Carina Olsson, Bengt Carlsson, Mats Lundälv |
| Products | Music recordings, protest songs |
"" (; ) is a 1978 protest song created by the Swedish-Palestinian ensemble Kofia, with lyrics penned by their frontman George Totari. Since its debut, it has served as a prominent anthem at socialist demonstrations and saw a resurgence in popularity amid the 2023 Gaza war.
History
Kofia was established in Gothenburg in 1972 under the leadership of George Totari (born 1946 in Nazareth), a Palestinian who emigrated to Sweden in 1967 during the Six-Day War and later acquired Swedish citizenship. The group’s members included Michel Kreitem (born 1946 in Jerusalem), a Palestinian percussionist whose family was displaced to Jordan between 1948 and 1952; he moved to Sweden in 1967 following his Swedish partner. Other members were Swedish vocalist Carina Olsson, flutist Bengt Carlsson, and Mats Lundälv, who played guitar, mandolin, and oud. Over time, the band took part in protests opposing the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa throughout the 1970s.
Totari composed "" as a form of protest against limitations on openly criticizing Israel and the refusal to acknowledge Palestinian identity within Sweden. The track was released as the closing song on the 1978 album / under the title " / ", becoming Kofia’s most well-known piece. Its lyrics portray scenes of wheat and olive harvesting in Palestine alongside imagery of resistance such as stone-throwing and rocket launching, reflecting themes of socialist anti-imperialism while advocating for the downfall of Zionism and liberation of Palestine. Kofia is recognized as the first band to perform about Palestine in a language other than Arabic, which elicited varied responses within Arab communities.
Since its release, the song has been a recurring feature at Swedish protests but has encountered censorship attempts by authorities. On International Workers' Day in 2019, pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted "" at a rally in Malmö, provoking criticism from right-wing media outlets and the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party. The party’s youth organization faced allegations of hate speech related to singing the song and subsequently agreed to halt its performance.
2023 revival
In light of the Gaza war and the siege imposed on Gaza, the song experienced a notable resurgence, spreading widely through social media channels such as TikTok and Instagram, becoming a rallying cry at pro-Palestinian protests throughout Europe.
This renewed interest was sparked by a 30-second video clip from an October 2023 demonstration in Stockholm, featuring "", which has since amassed over five million views. The song has been performed at protests ranging from Jakarta to Madrid and translated into English, Arabic, Hindi, and Indonesian.
Within six months of this revival, "" has faced intensified criticism from the Kristersson cabinet. Despite demands from the Moderate Party—the ruling party—to prohibit or censor it, along with police efforts to interrupt performances, the song continues to be a prominent element at large-scale Swedish demonstrations, where enforcement proves difficult.