IN STEREO

I worked with my father on the land. In 2009, my dad died. There was nobody to look after the land – my brothers were all in their work domains [so] I took over the land. We have a lot of land. In Beit Jala, I have fifty dunums of Roman olives. In Area C, in Al-Makhrour area – maybe you know it – I have about 100 dunums [of] olives, grapes, figs and everything. First, I’m paying attention to this country, to this homeland, to this land. I love working in agriculture and for the olive tree. Now, if you love something, you’ll be creative in it. I mean, if you were an architect – you like engineering, you like planning, you like building, you like construction – you’ll master it. [If] you like clothing design, you’ll master [it]. Now, I didn’t study agriculture, but I have experience. I look after olives. I fertilise them, I cultivate them.

I have a tractor. I spray, I prune them. I perfect them as I want. I have strong experience in it. Something like a psychology between you and the plant or the tree or your work will be constructed. There’ll be something spiritual. I mean, sometimes while you’re working on the land or on the tree, it’ll be like you’re talking with the tree, and the tree knows. From a psychological aspect, the garden, the land or the tree have like a feeling that they know their owner. This is a hidden energy; you start to know the trees and the garden, and the trees know you. A spiritual [connection] will be there. And when someone comes to cut a tree or to steal or something, you notice that the garden is ruined. This is a scientific thing, 100%. – Basher