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AEI-Open Windows
Sumud Peace House
The Arab Educational
Institute holds the SUMUD CULTURAL
FESTIVAL
nearby the Separation
Wall in the Rachel's Tomb area, Bethlehem
Sumud Festival: 30 April
– 1 May 2009
Click here to see photo gallery
A report by George
Zeineh in Al-Quds Newspaper, Friday 1st of May 2009
The first Sumud
Festival at the Wall around Rachel’s Tomb in
Bethlehem was a new event, inspired by last
year’s spring and summer performances by Belgian
singer Evi de Jean and Dutch composer Merlijn
Twaalfhoven and his international and
Palestinian artists. After these performances it
was decided to take a leap forwards and organize
a “real” music and Arts festival along the Wall
at Rachel’s Tomb. Below a selection of photos of
the event – the video will take some more time
to make.
On April 30, the
festival opened with a ceremony at the nearby
Sumud Story House, where in the company of the
mayor of Bethlehem, Dr Victor Batarseh, as well
as Abdalla Shakarneh, director of the Bethlehem
office of the Palestinian Ministry of Education,
and several other official representatives, the
Story House was officially opened. The Sumud
Story House aims to collect and show traditional
and present-day stories of Palestinian women,
especially those who have been affected by the
Wall in the area.
Then Dr Victor
Batarseh opened the festival itself, held
adjacent to the Wall. Evi de Jean accompanied by
Jerusalem pianist Nubar Vosgueritchian sang
among others a song about confronting the waves
in the sea (“branding”). During the first
festival night a so-called cold eastern wind (sharkiyyeh)
made the 100-150 visitors shiver. However, Evi
and Nubar and, in a duet with Evi, local singer
Jessica Morcos kept all warm inside. After the
visitors had formed a human key as symbol of
freedom, the steadily stronger wind forced the
visitors to take refuge in a neighboring
restaurant. There all enjoyed, in an intimate
atmosphere, the music group West East Best led
by Dutch-Iranian clarinettist Kymia Kermani and
Palestinian violist Morad Khoury . Not only the
wind formed an obstacle that first night, but
also checkpoints. Visitors from Ramallah – two
buses – were held up for hours at Kalandia.
However, after they arrived the handing out of
awards to school students that was part of an
inter-religious contest (AEI’s project Living in
the Holy Land: respecting Difference) could take
place, guided by Abdalla Shakarneh.
Next day Friday
morning, over hundred children were brought
together under the military watchtower and kept
surprised by Beit Jala entertainer Khaled al-Massou
and his colleagues. In the afternoon, in the
very Oriental environment at Maha Saca’s
Heritage Center at still another corner of the
Rachel’s Tomb Wall, AEI’s women’s group did
storytelling and re-enactments of Palestinian
cultural customs (parents of the groom visiting
athe future bride’s family…). Culture as
sumud. The closing piece of the festival was
“freedom music” organized by Nubar
Vosgueritchian on behalf of the Vision Center
for Culture and Arts in Abu Dis/Jerusalem, with
the participation of young and old. Music was
heard from neighboring balconies, roof, and from
below the watchtower… Each and every
contribution was special – whether the classical
qanun by Laith Al-Bandak of the Edward
Said Conservatory, or the children of Rania
Mourra playing out fragile sounds on the cello
and violin, the Al-Rowwad Dabke Dance troup –
becoming more professional with each new
performance; the indomitable Antoinette
Kinesivich whio is musically inspiring small
children in her extended family; Evi and Jessica
and Nubar once again performing (singing the
Wall away,” in the words of Evi); a rapper from
Doha, Mohammed Ghanayem, preparing his first CD,
and a Swedish group who offered its contribution
at the last moment. All people attentatively
listened to the drums of St Joseph School’s
scouts – some coming from a roof at the other
side of the Wall, some from a balcony. The drums
sounded like a sombre warning, but at the same
time reminded of the Christmas atmosphere when
Bethlehem is “occupied” by scouts and drumbands.
It all sounded special, human, beautiful – a
form of resistance against the wall that
deserves to be repeated. Inshallah.
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