Sunday, April 08, 2007

La vie au camp de Aida- Concert de Rap/ life in Aida Refugee camp- Rap concert under the shadow of the Wall






(c) Anne Paq/ tourbillonphoto.com

3 avril. Concert au camp de Aida; à l'ombre du Mur. avec un rappeur de Hollande Ali B. , le groupe de reference en matiere de hip hop palestinien DAM, un rappeur de 14 ans de la region de Bethlehem et le groupe de danse de Al-Rowwad.
Rap concert in Aida refugee camp.

Dutch rapper performs in a Bethlehem refugee camp as part of Dutch-Palestinian Week

Date: 03 / 04 / 2007 Time: 20:56

تكبير الخطتصغير الخط

Bethlehem - Ma'an - New ideas for civic initiatives between Dutch and Palestinian youth are being explored this week as part of the first Dutch-Palestinian Week, April 2-8.

Under the title, 'Youth are the future', a Dutch rapper is performing in a refugee camp in Bethlehem (West Bank) and in Sakhnin (northern Israel), and a graffiti artist will demonstrate his skills on the Separation Wall in Anata (north of Jerusalem).

On Tuesday, Dutch rapper Ali B performed in an open-air concert in Aida refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The leading Palestinian rap group, DAM, who hail from Ramla, a Palestinian town inside Israel, also performed, as did a young Palestinian rapper from the Bethlehem area. Youths from the refugee camp also performed the traditional Palestinian dance, the 'dabke'.

Ali B is also scheduled to perform in Sakhnin, a Palestinian town in the Galilee region of northern Israel on 7 April, alongside DAM and the Jerusalem-based Sagol 59.

On April 5, the Dutch graffiti artist, Niels Bakkerus, will be demonstrating his skills on the Wall near the Boys Governmental School in Anata, located north of Jerusalem. Ali B is also scheduled to attend.

Ali B and Niels Bakkerus have come to the region with the assistance of the Dutch peace organization 'United Civilians for Peace' and the Aida concert was organized in cooperation with Al-Rowwad center in Aida, the Arab Educational Institute-Open Windows in Bethlehem, and 'Eyes of Youngsters' in ad-Doha, Bethlehem district.

The Dutch-Palestinian Week is organized by 'Tulips @ Olives', a group of Dutch passport-holders residing in the occupied Palestinian territories and in the Palestinian areas inside Israel. One of the group, Toine van Teeffelen, says that this initiative hopes to bring Palestinian and Dutch citizens closer together and "work together in bottom-up initiatives for better communication, development, and peace and justice." Their website, www.tulipsandolives.nl, adds that the group would like to develop "grassroots connections between Dutch and Palestinian civil societies by encouraging tourism, partnerships; volunteering, and studies." Another objective stated on the website is "Correcting any stereotypes Palestinians may have of the Netherlands."

Van Teeffelen, who is the development director of AEI-Open Windows in Bethlehem, adds that the tulip, "originally imported from Turkey, is a symbol of Dutch identity that evokes the new spring." On the other hand, "the olive, a national fruit in Mediterranean countries, is a Palestinian symbol of being rooted in the land."

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