“The real question, then, is not ‘what can we do?’, but ‘what are we afraid to do?’ Whose comfort are we protecting when we ask safe questions? Whose illusions do we preserve through politeness? Solidarity is not an optic; it is a disruption. It is noisy, uncomfortable, often isolating. It pulls reputation apart rather than polishing it.
…
We are too fluent in the language of outrage, too comfortable in the posture of virtue. History will not absolve spectatorship, even when spectators cheer for the right side. Liberation requires more than applause. It demands consequence. And the theatre of solidarity must finally give way to the labor of it. Otherwise, we are simply watching.”

africasacountry.com/2025/11/wh…

#Gaza #Palestine #israel #genocide #UN #FrancescaAlbanese #spectatorship

When solidarity becomes spectacle

Francesca Albanese’s visit to South Africa exposed a truth we prefer not to face: that our moral witness has hardened into ritual. We watch, we clap, we call it solidarity.

^{africasacountry.com}