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Palestine/Israel:the absent 'other'

posted 14 Dec 2011 12:19 by Anita Shanley

Watch this space for review of Selma Dabbagh's book. Born of a Scottish mother and a Palestinian father, she makes a point in her book (sorry don't have the Metro article in front of me, but it is published by Bloomsbury)of having Israeli Jews absent when she discusses life in Gaza and the West Bank. In it she emulates the way Palestinians are usually absent from news broadcasts and much of Israeli literature.

We are very much aware of the absence of Palestinians in Simon Montefiore's

program on Jerusalem, city of 3 faiths on BBC 4 on Thursday nights at 7:30.

He focuses on the Aqsa as the centre of Jewish faith, where man and God meet,

and very deliberately creates a link of the Jews with that land from the time

of the Canaanites. It seemed no other nation had their roots in that land.

His second episode this coming Thursday December 22, 2011 I believe is

on Islam and it should be interesting to watch

Exhibitions and Speakers on Palestine August 2010 in Edinburgh's Main and Fringe Spiritual Festival

posted 19 Sep 2010 12:16 by El-Funoun Scotland [ updated 19 Sep 2010 13:39 ]

One of the outstanding authors participating in the Edinburgh Festival was Raja Shehadeh, West Bank lawyer and author whom I heard in the first instance in The Scottish Story Telling Centre in the High Street.

He introduced in an exhibition there, the landscape photos of five photographers including those of Bassam Almohor and Emile Ashrawi.

This exhibition can still be seen until the end of September.

Raja spoke further about Shat Ha (or picnic), which includes his hobby of walk abouts in the hills of Palestine now severely restricted by the ever growing Israeli settlements. He had shared with a large audience the contents of his book "Palestinian Walks" in August 2008 & 2009 where the joys of the open hillsides were becoming more and more hazardous. The aforementioned book won him the Orwell Prize in 2008.

I had the chance to listen to Raja once more this summer when he

presented in the Edinburgh Book Festival his brand new book: "A Rift

in Time: Travels with my Ottoman Uncle". I found it an amazing book

revealing the landscape and life of an Ottoman Palestine which is rapidly disappearing. Raja's uncle Najib travelled during the early years of the 20th Century, a time when he could enjoy the balmy air of the hills and see the valleys engulfed by a rich carpet of all flowers of the field and hear the animal sounds and rising smoke of villages.

Unfortunately I was unable to hear Archbishop Elias Chacour of Galilee's

talks on 20th August. His festival lecture title was: "The Promise of the Promised Land."

I did however attend the exhibition "Cartooning on Conflict", also

part of the Festival of Spirituality. Although many of the cartoons were

drawn by famous cartoonists, the impressions of many of us was that by no stretch of the imagination could the fight for existence, respect and self-determination be equal. Any thinking human being in this universe could see that Palestinians and Israelis are not starting from a level playing field; it is pretty obvious who is much, much stronger and richer.

Palestine 1880-1948: Stories my grandmother told me

posted 17 Sep 2010 11:51 by El-Funoun Scotland

El Funoun Scotland presented on February 26th 2011 a very successful Palestinian
cultural evening as part of the pre-event Edinburgh Middle East Festival of
Spirituality. The five participants in this event: Pat Smith, Anita Shanley, Davie
Gordon, Nada Shawa and Philip Chetwynd presented poems, stories and photos
which enlightened the audience of life in 19th C and early 20th Palestine.

Pat introduced the show and read poems of Mahmood Darwish and other
Palestinian poets. Anita told the story of the Arafat family (mercantile merchants)
in Nablus and surrounds; Gordon told the story of the Damiani family in Jaffa
and related their tribulations as they were forced to leave property and home to
flee to Beirut for their safety (taken from Robert Fisk's 'Pity the Nation'. Nada
drew a picture for us of her & her family's life in Gaza and subsequently in Scotland.
Phillip's presentation of pictures to liven and augment the narratives contributed to
a very informative and interesting evening.

The evening proved to be a wonderful cultural evening with everybody enjoyed
Palestinian music and food. Special thanks go to Che for their delicious falafel, to
Myles for his superb hummos and Kathleen for her donation of baklawa.

Thanks also go to Kathleen Gibb and Runa Mckay for their hard work on preparing
and serving refreshments and to Gordon Davie for his help in putting up the exhibit
of Windows and Doors of Jerusalem donated by Moira Brown.

No evening is complete without the beautiful embroidery of the Hadeel stall, administered
by the most efficient and elegantly dressed in an outstandingly embroidered jacket
Margaret Mungavin.

posted 14 May 2010 12:04 by Anita Shanley [ updated 19 Sep 2010 13:46 by El-Funoun Scotland ]

Windows for Peace (UK)

www.windowsforpeaceuk.org

works with Windows - Channels

for Communication (Windows

CfC) www.win-peace.org in Israel

and Palestine to promote dialogue

and understanding amongst

Jewish, Muslin and Christian

young people.

Young people (aged 13-15)

work together with media and

art to promote mutual

understanding and reconciliation

between the two communities.

They run a media programme for

young people; publish WINDOWS,

a magazine in Arabic and

Hebrew, written by and for

young 12-14 year olds; and mount

art exhibitions which present the

visions of Israeli and Palestinian

children on war and peace and

dreams for the future.

Please get in touch with Nancy Adams

for further information

(nancy@newbigging.org)

To download a copy of “Windows” in

English go to:

www.windowsforpeaceuk.org/

Magazine.htm

FILM BUDRUS@ FILMHOUSE FRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2010 @ 8:40 Question & Answer with Kathy Galloway

posted 14 May 2010 11:54 by Anita Shanley [ updated 19 Sep 2010 14:01 by El-Funoun Scotland ]

Ayad Morrar, an unlikely communityorganiser, unites Palestinians and Israelis in an unarmed struggle to save the olive groves of his village, and access to neighbouring villages, from being taken away by Israel's Security Fence. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year old daughter, Itezam, launches a women's contingent that quickly moves to the front lines, in the process, they unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Territors that is still gaining ground today.

After the screening the award-winning Brazilian director Julia Bacha will appear for a Q&A as well as Kathy Galloway (Director, Christian Aid Scotland).

EVENTS EXHIBITIONS LAST FEBRUARY & MARCH

posted 16 Jan 2010 08:42 by El-Funoun Scotland [ updated 19 Sep 2010 14:09 ]

EVENTS HELD DURING THE BEGINNING OF 2010:

Event: “Celebrating the Craft Heritage of Palestine” By

Hind El Arabi, Women’s Program Coordinator for the United Nation Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Gaza

Photo exhibition; “Behind the Wall: Life, Love and Struggle in Palestine”

Rich Wiles (Coordinator of International Relations at Lajee Centre for Refugee Youth and Children in Aida Refugee Camp)

“Rarely has the Palestinian experience of occupation—its everyday frustrations, cruelties and injustices—been captured better than in these richly varied and very human stories told by Rich Wiles. Too often the voice of the Palestinians is denied or overlooked: this book seeks to correct that additional indignity by reminding the reader that behind Israel's Wall a people continues to demand the freedoms most of us take for granted."

Event: “Palestinian Monologues” (sponsored by SPF as part of the Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace -MESP festival)

Scripted for the IceandFire Theatre Company and performed by Actors for Human Rights, this is based on the real stories of Palestinian, Israeli and Internationals caught up in the Israeli/Palestine conflict.

Event: Exhibition JERUSALEM 1926 TO PRESENT

(Part of the Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace -MESP festival)

This exhibit was set up by El Funoun Group for the Edinburgh summer festival as part of the celebration of Al Quds as the cultural capital of the Arab world for 2009 and was a great success.

Exhibitions REMEMBERING GAZA

posted 11 Jan 2010 08:29 by El-Funoun Scotland [ updated 11 Jan 2010 08:50 ]

The Scottish Cross Party Group of Palestine chairman Pauline McNeill, MSP, Labour, helped host two exhibitions on the history and current tragic situation in

Gaza. The first was a reception with refreshments in Glasgow Central Mosque on December 11th, 2009 at 5:30. and the second was in Edinburgh on January 6th, 2010 at 5:30. Both events were very well attended. A link with Gaza was set up on the two occasions and members of the audience as well as MSP's had a chance to ask outstanding citizens of Gaza questions on current life in the cruel siege of Gaza.