From Palestine to Peace Village: Aida on Justice, Race, and Reconciliation
Details
- Interviewee: Aida Shibli
- Role: Community Member
- Community: Tamera
- Date: 2026-01-14
- Language: en
Summary
Aida Al Shibli, a Palestinian woman and activist, shares her journey from occupied Palestine to living in Tamera, Portugal, where she has been for 18 years. Her identity as a Muslim female and her experiences with systemic oppression have deeply shaped her views on justice, reconciliation, and community living. Aida's transformation from a justice-driven activist to one who values reconciliation illustrates her evolving understanding of relationships within communal living. She emphasizes the importance of addressing underlying systems of power and privilege to foster true inclusivity and healing in communities.
Key quotes
I still believe in free Palestine. I now believe more in free Palestinians and more in reconciliation that can not only fix things according to how colonialism wants it...
Creating intentional communities in the global North is one of the most essential things we need in this time.
Many people carry a very romantic image about community...When a group lives together without facing the systems that make separation, those systems enter the group again.
If you want to build community, first understand racial justice and white supremacy.
Study the system that doesn’t want you to live in community. When you study it and understand why the system wants you to live in separation...
Transcript
**Sharon:** So let's start with what's your name and where are we sitting right now?
**Aida:** My name is Aida Al Shibli. I'm the daughter of Aisha, Fatima, Shahba, Wattfa, Khaldiya and Khadija. I'm born in occupied Palestine and I live here in Portugal in the Tamera community for the last 18 years. And I know the project for 22 years.
**Sharon:** And how did you first hear about the project and what made you curious about joining it?
**Aida:** As a Palestinian person, I was also born in a female body and Muslim, indigenous. I already noticed from my childhood that all of my identities are not wanted. And still, I had so much love inside of me that I wanted just to share it with people. I was trying to understand how does the system make people not like or want people only because of their identities... my questioning in life was in a big period of crisis. Nevertheless, as the political situation was and still even now more difficult with the genocide, I was still doing many activism for my people, and that was the place where I met people from Tamera.
**Sharon:** And how did you, in these early days, with what values did you come in and what values did you experience here?
**Aida:** I already came with the values that were dreaming of post-capitalism, post-patriarchy... One value that I came with and that got transformed is the value of justice. ... If I can choose between justice and reconciliation, I would choose reconciliation. That was a big transformation for me.
**Sharon:** What do you think is the biggest element of self-growth that you went through in order to really be part of the community over here?
**Aida:** One area of self-growth is that we grew up — I grew up — with a certain image of myself... When you live in community and start rubbing with people, something of that greatness that is false falls down... Community brings you to really know what is the diamond that you are, what is the fire that you are — or not.
**Sharon:** And following exactly that, how do you think these places can be laboratories or serve the healing of the world?
**Aida:** I want to humble that... The vision is toward a healing biotope. ... There is this theory that speaks about free zones... I think the maximum that we can aim to have in these spots of light... is that they can inspire others for a different way of living.
**Sharon:** What are the shadows that you see also here in the community...?
**Aida:** Many people have a very romantic image about community... If the community does not engage in these questions, there will be a shadow around them.
**Sharon:** How do you make this place more inclusive?
**Aida:** First, understand racial justice... share it. Really check what do you need, and the rest, share it...
**Sharon:** How do you see your role today... as an activist?
**Aida:** ... I also need for my clarity to still see the vision of healing biotopes and distinguish it from the daily behaviors of people who say that they are carrying it.
**Sharon:** What can change in these spaces...?
**Aida:** ... The political understanding that the thing is that you cannot hope for exclusivity for your people and at the same time ask for inclusivity of the world and alternative....
**Sharon:** What do you think they’re missing?
**Aida:** Study the system that doesn’t want you to live in community... If you’re not studying it, if you’re not understanding it, then you are overlooking...
**Sharon:** And I guess also if you don’t study...
**Aida:** That’s true...
**Sharon:** And I mean, if we look at it in a broader way...
**Aida:** ... My main work now as a Palestinian is to remember with others how have we been before the occupation and how do we want to be after the occupation.