year of birth: 1923
originally from: Akka, Palestina
lives in: Sidon, Libanon
duration: 9:29 min
view the testimony (mp4) >>
Said Otruk recalls his childhood: how the Ottoman fez made way for the kuffiyah, the Palestinian scarf, now a national symbol. He describes how he ferried Palestinian refugees in his fishing boat to evacuation ships waiting along the coast. Eventually he also fled by boat. Said’s family was relatively wealthy. His father was the harbour master in Acre. After his escape, Said became a fisherman in the Lebanese port of Sidon. In 1954, following a series of confrontations with Lebanese fishermen, he opened an electricity shop. He placed photos of Acre in the window to remind the Palestinian community of their origins. In 2004 he suffered a stroke and closed his shop. Today he lives with his son and daughter.
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