Inheriting a Legacy and a Platform | Najla Said

As the daughter of the renowned intellectual Edward Said, Najla Said discusses the unique pressures of navigating her family's legacy while forging her own creative voice in the shadow of his immense influence. The conversation explores her journey from attempting to assimilate into American culture as a youth to confronting her heritage during a pivotal trip to Palestine and Lebanon. Said details her entry into professional theater and the development of her acclaimed one-woman show, Palestine, which grew from an intimate journal entry. She also offers a personal perspective on her father's moral backbone, the impact of recent global events on her sense of safety in New York, and the evolution of her activism through new collaborative theater projects. The discussion touches on the enduring intimacy of her memoir, Looking for Palestine, and how sharing her inner monologue has helped her find a community based on genuine solidarity.

 

 0:00 Introduction
1:37 Childhood Stories and Typewritten Plays 
2:54 Growing Up in the Shadow of Intellectual Giants 
7:23 The Weight of Family Legacy 
10:00 Journaling and the Discovery of a Personal Voice 
12:47 Acting, Identity, and Hollywood Reality Checks 
20:36 Defining "Arab" through Theater 
22:10 Navigating Identity Shifts: Lebanon, Palestine, and New York 
33:32 Misunderstandings and the Moral Backbone of Edward Said 
36:58 Current Work: Dialogue in a Time of Hostility 
44:30 Erasing Legacy: Columbia University and Global Activism 
47:40 Politics and Perception 
52:14 Looking for Palestine: The Vulnerability of Memoir 
56:56 Shedding the Need to Be Liked 
58:07 Solidarity as the Greatest Expression of Love 

Najla Said is a Palestinian-Lebanese-American actress, playwright, author, and activist, recognized for her memoir Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an Arab-American Family (2013), which chronicles her struggles with cultural identity amid a privileged New York City upbringing as the daughter of prominent Palestinian intellectual Edward W. Said and his Lebanese-born wife Mariam Cortas Said. Said initially distanced herself from her Arab heritage, assimilating into American and Jewish social circles while attending elite institutions like Dalton School and Princeton University, before a transformative trip to the Middle East prompted her to embrace Palestinian roots more fully. Said's career spans theater and performance, including her solo show Palestine, which she has presented at over 25 high schools, colleges, and universities worldwide since its off-Broadway debut, addressing themes of diaspora, stereotyping, and Arab-American experiences. She has worked with New York institutions such as New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, and Second Stage, and maintains affiliations like a "Usual Suspect" at NYTW. As an activist, Said advocates for Palestinian self-determination, drawing on her father's legacy of critiquing Western orientalism, though her public engagements, including support for campus protests, reflect a personal evolution from identity confusion to vocal solidarity with causes tied to her heritage. 

Connect with Najla Said 👉 https://instagram.com/kittybubble 

Hosted by: 
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb

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