On Greta
It’s only been a week since Greta returned from Gaza (Israeli detention). And now we’re on the brink of a world war.
If it feels like a month, it’s likely you’re someone who consumes the news daily, knowing it’s the least you can do. As we think about the role we’ve played in the genocide in Gaza (some more than others, and some really more than others). Then we (don’t) think about the other genocides happening in the world right now: Sudan, the Congo, Yemen.
*Deep breath*, I used to think Greta was insufferable too. Not because I didn’t believe in her message, but because she made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough (my fault, not hers). Her climate activism, while bold for a 16-year-old, I found was more passive than active. More preachy than grounded. More sensationalist than helpful. Vegan at 8, refused to speak by 11, sailed to New York on a boat at 16. This brand of activism was not for me - or so a sexually confused, 20-something, Sri Lankan male-presenting carnivorous copywriter felt then.
I didn’t follow her on social media until last year, when an interview popped up on my feed. Here she revealed a different side: playful, warm, child-like, and a lover of beans.
On board the Madeline, she and 11 others risked their lives to deliver aid to Gaza. The world watched and followed their progress.
Some called it performance. Others called it courage. And one US senator was called out for his small-d***-energy.
Sailing to Gaza wasn’t a statement. It was the search for the root of her activism - colonialism, imperialism. The event felt authentic because it was happening in real time, in front of our eyes (just like the genocide and this was her point). First a video call on the ocean, next news of drones above the boat, then Greta and the activists intercepted by the Israeli government. Greta sent back. Some have been detained. Allegations of arrest. What the honest fuck?
Her reaction to reporters asking her about what she has gone through: “It’s nothing compared to what the people of Gaza have gone through for the past years.”
From activism that assigned blame to taking responsibility, from saying “how dare you” to daring greatly, from “the world is watching” to “let the world watch me.” She flipped her camera, her perspective, and transformed ours. She was the messenger, she was the tool, she was the message - we’re coming for ‘our’ people. From the vague "them" to the very tangible “me”: "I am Greta Thunberg… sailing to Gaza… with 11 others… Calling out to our countries… take responsibility."
Young-adult Greta has raised the bar on branded activism. Focusing on action. Reaching the root of the problem you are trying to solve. Risking everything (literally). Shifting perceptions about all young activists. About the ability for progressives to organise, come together and, most importantly, get their hands dirty.
The team on the Madeline:
Greta Thunberg – Swedish activist
Rima Hassan – French MP, Palestinian origin
Thiago Ávila – Brazilian activist, 19 years of activism for Palestine
Yasmin Akar – German of Kurdish descent
Shuaib Ordu – from Turkey
Riva Villar – French activist
Baptiste André – French doctor
Sergio Toribio – Spanish sailor
Mark van Rennes – Dutch captain
Omar Fayyad – Palestinian journalist and Al Jazeera presenter
Younes Mohamedi – French journalist of Arab descent
Pascal Mourieras – French sailor, veteran of the 2018 Freedom Flotilla, previously arrested for trying to reach Gaza