City Strolls - events - meetings
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
A troupe of young actors and Dancers from Balata Refugee Camp in Palestine are planning to tour Scotland in August.
Arrive Scotland Saturday 6 August via ferry from Ireland.
Cash needed! Size of tour party will be 22 people – 14 girls, 4 boys and 4 caretakers - depending on visas and tour costs, in particular, return flights Amman->UK.
7 dates in Scotland: Edinburgh; Glasgow; Dundee.
More details to come when we have them.
[Edinburgh Fringe is taking place from 7-29 August www.edfringe.com]A troupe of young actors and Dancers from Balata Refugee Camp in Palestine are planning to tour Scotland in August.
Balata Tour Itinerary (Scotland)
Derry 30 July
Belfast 1 August
Edinburgh 7-9 August
Glasgow 10-12 August
Dundee 13-14 August
Cardiff 18 August
Exeter 22 August
Arrive Scotland Saturday 6 August via ferry from Ireland.
Cash needed! Size of tour party will be 22 people – 14 girls, 4 boys and 4 caretakers - depending on visas and tour costs, in particular, return flights Amman->UK.
7 dates in Scotland: Edinburgh; Glasgow; Dundee.
More details to come when we have them.
[Edinburgh Fringe is taking place from 7-29 August www.edfringe.com]
The Balata Players Network needs you support
Join the Support Team Today
Help with lots of Tasks/Activities needed
Budget - We need money for this tour donate or help us raise the cash
If you can help in any way email glasgowpalestine@hotmail.com or Phone 07976 718 111.
Introduction THE PlAY’S THE THING
This document describes a project to support a group of young people from Balata refugee camp in Nablus, Palestine. The intended audience for the document is individuals and organisations that are able and willing to offer support to these young people: through direct financial aid; gifts in kind; or assisting in the organisation and running of the tour during July/August 2005.
Background
The Balata Camp, based on the outskirts of Nablus, is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank and is home to around 17,000 people.
Nablus is a conservative and traditional Palestinian town with a long-standing reputation for opposing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank territories. Due to its continued opposition to the Israeli presence over the last 38 years the city is frequently targeted for “special” treatment, much of which is directed at Balata Refugee Camp and the Old Town.
For young people growing up in Balata the “reality” of the camps is especially difficult and extremely challenging. By virtue of being born into a refugee community, they face a number of barriers in addition to those that other young people normally confront: -
Frequent Harassment – Balata camp is invaded by the Israeli army on an almost nightly basis. The provocation inevitably leads to conflict, shootings and imprisonment;
Collective Punishment – if one person resists the occupation, a whole community is often made to suffer;
Disruption to Education – many school/university days are lost due to curfew and frequent closure of checkpoints;
Hardship/Grief – is a daily fact of life and all Palestinians are expected to remain steadfast and endure no matter how tough their conditions;
Expectation – young people are under immense mental and psychological pressure. They are expected to be strong, resist the occupation, and bear the loss or disappearance of family/friends without any apparent sign of weakness;
Poverty – exacerbated by the Israeli policy of closure which has led to the collapse of many local industries and led to high levels of unemployment (typically 70%);
Despair – the young people have lost their childhood and most can not see a way out of the current difficulties. Depression and mental health problems are widespread.
To help people in the camp, young and old, deal with the realities that they are facing, a support group has been established known as balatacamp.net. The group runs a range of activities that aim to improve their situation: -
Break the social and physical isolation of Balata Refugee Camp;
Enable Balata residents to make their voices heard in the outside world;
Support Palestinians in their resistance to injustice
Current Situation
balatacamp.net offers a varied and rapidly expanding range of activities for young people: -
journalism workshops - training young journalists to produce independent media;
local film collectives - providing the means and skills to young political activists to voice their frustrations through film;
IT skills for women - teaching women and girls web-design and computer skills;
art workshops - for kids and children disabled during the intifada;
local enterprise - exporting locally-produced crafts;
These are all intended to relieve the impact of the occupation while providing additional means of resistance. The website [www.balatacamp.net], although still in progress, provides news from the camp, photos, art and information on the projects. Future activities being prepared include locally produced oral history documentation, dance workshops, a youth photography exhibit to display in London and a youth drama/dance tour of the UK.
In the meantime regular nightly raids on Balata Camp continue. People are taken out of their homes in the dark of night. Some are allowed to return, others end up in Israeli prisons, not to be seen again for many years. All of the boys in the youth group that will tour the UK have close relatives in prison, killed or on the run, as do most of the girls!!
On Tuesday 14 December 2004, the Israeli Army brutally arrested one of the balatacamp.net collective workers, Kelly Bornshlegel. She was arrested during a peaceful demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in the Ramallah area. After being strip-searched, interrogated and threatened with violence, she was transferred around various Israeli prisons before being deported to the US. Appendix for a detailed account).
Statement of Kelly Bornshlegel
Kelly Bornshlegel
Tsochar Prison, Negev Desert Tuesday 21 December 2004,
Today marks the seventh day of my illegal imprisonment in Israeli jails. During this week I have been moved 3 times: most recently to Tsochar prison, 10 km from the Gaza Strip. I have been interrogated by the Ministry of the Interior, Police, Shabak and finally a 'judge', employed full-time at the deportation prison. Repeatedly I asked for my charges, my rights, and access to a lawyer but each time I was met with a blank stare.
The kindness and strength of the women I have met in this prison system continues to amaze me. In a situation of dehumanisation where we are called 'Mongolia', 'China', 'USA' instead of our names, where a female prison is run only by male guards, where those same guards burst into our cells at any hour of day without knocking, where our cells have no doors to the shower or the rooms where we change, each woman goes out of her way to help the others cope and survive.
All of these women are immigrants, some recent while others have lived here for more than 10 years. Many of the women have husbands, boyfriends and children still in Israel. They are treated as criminals, despite having worked and contributed to Israeli society for years.
Every mundane detail of our lives is controlled by the male prison guards. Many of the women here are extremely vulnerable - not speaking Hebrew, far from their homes, dependent on guards for everything. The prison administration appears to turn a blind eye to widespread abuse as individual prison guards take advantage of their captives, many of whom have been previously raped and smuggled into Israel as sex-slaves.
This process of dehumanisation by viewing someone as 'other' when convenient to justify the injustices being perpetrated is the same technique employed against the Palestinians. Soldiers at checkpoints and demonstrations, Border Police invading Balata Camp and shooting 6 year-old children, Israelis knowing what is happening to Palestinians living a half hour from their homes but choosing to ignore it - all can live with themselves at the end of the day only because Palestinians have no names or faces; they are animals, a nuisance that needs to be pushed away.
I am refusing to co-operate with the deportation administration, as I was arrested in Occupied Palestine while attending a local demonstration on the invitation of local Palestinians. The Israeli occupation is unjust and illegal; therefore I refuse to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Israeli court system over the West Bank and Gaza. Furthermore, the Israeli 'judicial system' was designed and functions not to provide justice but to legitimise and obscure oppression.
Issues
At the same time as losing one of their core-workers, balatacamp.net activities are running desperately low on funds and operating on the bare minimum of equipment. For instance, many of the projects are based around the creation of independent media from Balata as a means of resistance. Yet the group is running on a bare minimum of equipment. All balatacamp.net projects rely on 3 digital video cameras (2 of which are low quality digi-8s), one still digital camera and one laptop with film editing capabilities. Currently, this equipment is supporting the balatacamp.net website, two young journalist groups, three computer workshops and three film groups; more than 60 camp residents regularly use the equipment.
It is exciting to have so many enthusiastic residents (of all generations and abilities) from Balata interested and working on these projects. The potential these projects have to grow, to provide a voice, means of resistance and some level of hope to the battered people of Balata is immense. The excitement, dedication and will is available; the main obstacle currently is the lack of means.
Although all projects are carried out by volunteers, costs are still accrued by equipment needs, communication, internet access, rent, art and workshop supplies, etc. The group is in urgent need of financial support for the continuation of these projects. If you can help in any way or have an idea for other projects, please get in touch. balatacamp.net urgently need people who can:
COME out to Balata to volunteer, share skills, organise links;
CONTRIBUTE financially or organise fundraisers [see below for details];
WORK with a centre/organisation/group in their area to establish links with groups in Balata;
HELP develop the balatacamp.net website (especially the news service);
PUBLICISE and link to balatacamp.net;
TRANSLATE English to Arabic;
HELP distribute "The Sun doesn't shine in the Camp";
CONTRIBUTE time and energy to organising aspects of the balatacamp.net projects outside of Palestine, especially the Drama/Dance tour and the Youth Photographic Exhibit.
To donate financially, UK cheques can be made out to Mika Minio-Paluello and sent to:
17 Claremont Gardens
Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 4TL UK
Alternatively, contributions can be placed in:
Barclays Bank
Account Name: M L Minio-Paluello
Account Number: 10363715
Sort Code: 20-65-20
balatacamp.net
balatacamp.net is a grassroots collective consisting of Palestinians from Balata Refugee Camp and international supporters all working on a voluntary basis.
History
In 1998, three Palestinians initiated a program to bring the art of theatre to the children in Balata camp. With no facilities in the camp for drama activity, the founders realised that there was a pressing need for creative outlets of expression amongst children. Initially, the group was affiliated with the Warsha Centre for Fine Arts, based out of Nablus. Recently, the Warsha Centre became obsolete, leading the group to move its rehearsals to the facilities of the Yafa
Centre, in Balata.
The group has developed over time and is now at its strongest since its founding. They have produced and performed over 10 different theatre production the most recent being 'Ahmed al-Arabi' and 'The Boy and the Girl'.
In its mandate, the group outlines its main aims:
1.To teach theatrical arts and offer a forum for creative expression to talented children in Balata Refugee Camp.
2.To continue the legacy of traditional Palestinian customs of dance, music and costume.
3.To combat the psychological effects of the occupation through art and performance, giving children a safe space and alternative means of expression.
4.To illustrate the Palestinian cause, specifically that of refugees, through dramatic performance.
The current group of young people have been working together for over three years and have performed around Palestine, but have never had the opportunity to leave the country. It will be a valuable experience both for them, and for the audience, to see a human side of Palestinians and to experience the richness of Palestinian culture and art.
UK Tour 2005 - Traditional Palestinian Dance & Drama
The two drama instructors and the children have created a 90-minute performance encompassing music, dance and theatre highlighting themes of ‘hope’ ‘despair’ and ‘future.
'Ahmed al-Arabi' consists of two fifteen minute dramatic plays; the first depicting a scene in a Palestinian village in 1948 during the 'Nabka' when the Palestinians were forced off their lands. The second shows a present-day scene at a checkpoint in which a school child is killed by an Israeli soldier. 'The Boy and the Girl' critically examines disparities within their society, particularly based around why boys are more valued than girls.
This year the group has added dance and music to their repertoire. Trained performers have coached the children in learning the art of 'Dabka', a traditional Palestinian dance, and given lessons in instrument performance. The 'Dabka' performance makes up half of the overall performance.
The group has performed at two festivals inside of Palestine, in Salfit and Ramallah, and taken away high recognition and awards in both festivals. The group regularly performs within Balata and Nablus. However, closure and lack of funds limit the opportunity for travel and wider audiences.
Performance Details
10 min of slides/photos (they want this to precede the drama so that people understand the context)
40 min of drama - the drama begins with the nakba in 1948; a community are forced off their lands. They're scattered across the place. The scene shifts to a refugee camp, and people trying to deal with having lost their homes and rubbish conditions etc. Includes some comic school scenes, people fighting over who gets to use the single camp toilet first, and people being humiliated by receiving clothes handouts from Europe (but no political support) then the Israeli soldiers arrive again, and try to force people off their land again - only this time they won't go, and stand up for themselves. The boy goes missing and the older sister searches for him everywhere. It's mostly without words, and very expressive
40 min of dabke - it is a very physically intense and vibrant dance, focused on the legs, with the young people wearing beautiful locally produced costumes. They play the music, sing and dance by themselves. You can see an old performance in the film on the balatacamp.net page.
Tour Organisation and Funding
In collaboration with organisations within Balata, balatacamp.net is currently embarking upon a project to take the Drama/Dance group on tour in the U.K., leaving open the possibility of extending the visit to other countries within Europe.
Bringing this type of political art to audiences outside of Palestine is a unique opportunity to show a different side of the struggle through a powerful medium. Performance groups from Bethlehem and Ramallah have toured abroad in the past, but never a group from the northern refugee camps, where the effects of the occupation are strongest and most oppressive.
The group plan to perform a UK tour during July and August 2005. This will enable them to participate in summer festivals, and also to make connections with schools and youth organisations. In order to make the project a success significant help is needed in the following areas,
finding interested venues and organisations to host the group
looking into possible festivals to perform
finding sympathetic organisations willing to help with invitations for visas and logistics
looking into possible financial backer, including organisations and individuals
any other ideas/skills people can offer
identify NGO’s, youth agencies that are willing to develop long term relationships with balatacamp.net
The performance is very flexible and can be tailored to suit the surroundings and occasion – so they can just do dancing, or change the length of time the play lasts. They prefer if there is stage lighting they can use, but if there isn't it's fine. The drama is done to music and they have two singers that also use recordings so a stereo system will be useful. However, the music is a little bit chaotic at the moment; the musicians’ brother was assassinated two weeks ago!! They have a few props and they will bring these with them.
Finally, just a reminder, the kids are really, really great. Most of them come from very difficult backgrounds (their families have and are going through a lot) and they funnel their energy, pain and history into their performances. They are, of course, super nice and need very little to live on i.e. they are used to sleeping on the floor and living off bread and hummus and fuul.
Tour Itinerary (Scotland)
Arrive Scotland Saturday 6 August via ferry from Ireland.
Cash needed! Size of tour party will be 22 people – 14 girls, 4 boys and 4 caretakers - depending on visas and tour costs, in particular, return flights Amman->UK.
7 dates in Scotland: Edinburgh; Glasgow; Dundee.
More details to come when we have them.
[Edinburgh Fringe is taking place from 7-29 August www.edfringe.com]
The Balata Players Network needs you support
Join the Support Team Today
Help with lots of Tasks/Activities needed
Budget - We need money for this tour donate or help us raise the cash
If you can help in any way email glasgowpalestine@hotmail.com or Phone 07976 718 111.
Bob, 08:21
