WEST BANK/GAZA: Ramallah's Qalandia International Festival showcases art from Palestinian artists and celebrates 200 years of cultural history.

Record ID: 708254

  • Title: WEST BANK/GAZA: Ramallah's Qalandia International Festival showcases art from Palestinian artists and celebrates 200 years of cultural history.
  • Date: 29th October 2014
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF WATTAR MUSIC BAND AT THE OPENING
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Gaza
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8R2AK4W0PGM8VZSB2DWVHQDW0
  • Story Text: A Palestinian art festival celebrating 200 years of culture is being held at 26 locations in historical Palestine.
    The exhibitions celebrate contemporary artists and artworks symbolizing significant events throughout Palestinian history.
    The events taking place as part of the Qalandia International Festival began on Wednesday October 22 in Ramallah, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, with art exhibits, performances and films.
    The theme of the event was 'Archives, Lived and Shared.' Qalandiya International Festival Art Director Jack Persekian said it was important for Palestinians to channel their feelings through artworks.
    "The aim of the festival is to break down boundaries, to have a festival that can reach all audiences in Palestine, historical Palestine. The festival is held in 26 locations in historical Palestine, from Gaza to Haifa," he said.
    Artist Amer al-Shomali said the festival transcends generations as well as territories.
    "The exhibition contains many artists, from the Palestinians of 1948 and others. Like the former Mustafa Al-Halaj, who was drawing posters for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation during the revolution, now his drawings are being displayed in Haifa. The festival surpasses borders. I have never been in Haifa and I may not even visit Haifa for another ten years, but my works are being displayed in Haifa. I am satisfied with that," he said.
    Palestinians in Gaza held a sister festival called the 'Gaza 87' exhibition after the first intifada.
    Gazan artist Basel al-Makousi spoke of the symbolism of political grafitti during the uprising.
    "My art work is called 'writing on walls', the factions used to write graffiti on the walls. After a while, another party comes and erases what is written and starts to write another thing. So the thickness of the colours is like the thickness of the stone. They chose the walls that are on main roads, they used to choose the walls of schools, or places that people pass by," he said.
    The festival is named after the first exhibition which took place in the West Bank Palestinian village of Qalandia in 2012.
    Qalandiya International Festival will tour Palestinian and Israeli-Arab towns and cities until mid-November.
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