WATCH: Rapper Jasiri X visits African refugees in south Tel Aviv

At the same time that a group of prominent African-American journalists and artists was touring Israel and Palestine earlier this month, African asylum seekers in Tel Aviv were taking to the streets to demand basic rights and refugee status.

For rapper-activist Jasiri X, being so close to the refugee protests compelled him to come and see their struggle with his own eyes, he explained.

“It’s been heartbreaking,” JasiriX told Israel Social TV at Levinski Park in south Tel Aviv. Media reports on Israel/Palestine are often whitewashed versions of the real story, he added, “so to come here and see and hear these stories – it’s so much worse.”

The group of artists and journalists also visited Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah during the tour, where participants recorded a spoken-word video with Mohammad El Kurd of My Neighbourhood. Jasiri X recently released a music video about Israeli military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Read also:
The origins and politics of Israel’s refugee debate
Portraits: Detained African asylum seekers in Israel