Activities
 

The work of the Sakakini is divided in 2 parts: Long term projects, divided into the 3 fields described in the opening page of this site: Nurturing the visual arts, Palestinian identity and narrative, and arts for all.

Secondly, a monthly program of activities destined to the general public, encompassing an average of 8 activities per month, ranging from: Concerts, documentary film screenings, art exhibits, book discussions, poetry readings, entertainment activities for children; as well as special events, depending on current events. The visual arts events and projects are featured in the Visual Arts subdirectory and the rest of our more salient activities since 1996 are:

Iraqi Cultural Evening, April 2003:

In the middle of the war in Iraq, & in order to express our solidarity and to pay tribute to the land of “the two rivers”, a cradle of civilizations, and the origin of many Arab contemporary artistic  innovations, the Sakakini initiated this event, which drew a full audience, & called upon various individuals and institutions to participate.

Al-Urmawi Center for Oriental Music contributed a performance of traditional Iraqi songs by Nizar Rohana, & Tamer Abu Ghazaleh on Oud. This was followed by a reading of a selection of Iraqi poetry by poet Murad Soudani, from the House of Poetry. Ashtar's theater company performed an excerpt from their play “Land of Crimson” that dealt with war and its damage. Visual artist Husni Radwan discussed his recollections of growing up in Baghdad, and the influence of Iraqi arts and culture on his decision to become an artist &on his body of work. The evening ended dramatically with an original performance by Munira Zreiqi who read excerpts from Iraqi poetry, and danced to the -recorded- music of Iraqi Oud master Nasseer Shamma.

Solidarity Campaign with Dr. Manfried Wuest, February 2003:

The Sakakini organized a solidarity campaign with Dr. Manfried Wuest, the former director of the German Cultural Center (Goethe Institut) in Ramallah, who was summarily demoted and transferred from his post as director of the Damascus Goethe Institut, to a small town in the Indian subcontinent. Dr. Wuest suffered this sanction after speaking out at a conference in Berlin about so called" Palestinian terrorists", & stating his view that they are freedom fighters resisting occupation.

A petition was adopted at a public meeting held at the Centre & widely circulated. Many signatures from the most prominent names in Palestinian arts, media, and academia were collected, in addition to a great number of international signatures. As a follow up, the Sakakini organized a peaceful sit-in at the German Representative Office in Ramallah, & the petition was formally handed in at a meeting inside the Representative Office. More details on the issue may be found at the following links:

Petition & Signatories

Dr. Rosemary Sayigh's Letter of Solidarity

Wolfgang Freund Article (German)

Solidarity Iftars, November 2001:

During Ramadan 2001, the Centre held 4 solidarity break-the-fast-meals (Iftars) for those who are suffering during the Intifada, such as the wounded and handicapped, students who live away from home, and low ranking soldiers who live outside their headquarters. The evenings consisted of a break-the-fast meal, a concert, and the distribution of care packages, books, and exhibition catalogues. One evening was held for stranded female community college students from the northern West Bank, and Gaza studying in Ramallah; 2 for soldiers who are forced to sleep in abandoned buildings due to Israeli shelling of their barracks, and 1 evening was held at the Abu Rayya Rehabilitation Center. Many individuals & some companies donated money, cakes, and sweets for the evenings. Musicians from the National Conservatory of Music and the Urmawi Center for Oriental music also donated their performances. CNN aired a report about the activity on their international & domestic broadcasts. The activity was the impetus for a permanent outreach program of the Sakakini, launched in 2003. More information about it may be found in the Projects subdirectory.

Break The Siege Events. Ongoing:

In the autumn of 2001, the Sakakini embarked on a "break the siege" project by conducting 3-4 monthly activities in the village of Birzeit, at Beit-Alhajar, a student meeting place and coffee shop. The activities in Birzeit are extremely popular with the students who flock to Beit-Alhajar to attend them. As a result, many of the Sakakini events are now transferred as much as possible outside of Ramallah, such as art exhibits transferred regularly to the Gaza Arts and Crafts Village and to the Bethlehem Peace Center and additional events transferred to Jerusalem, Jenin, Nablus, and Nazareth. 

Open Summer Nights Concerts. 2000-2001:

A series of Open Summer Nights Concerts were held all summer long in the Sakakini garden. These evenings showcased the talents of mainly amateur young artists, in poetry readings, sketches, singing, and Dabka. The evenings helped young artists become known, contributed to breaking the siege as many performers came from different refugee camps, villages, and towns. The evenings also provided the large and diverse audience with an opportunity for family entertainment in a pleasant environment, in the middle of the strangulating conditions of siege. The 2000 nights were self funded, and the 2001 expanded version was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). The summer nights were canceled in 2002 and 2003 due to the curfews, and invasions of Ramallah.

Hebron Solidarity Evening, December 2000:

A special evening of consciousness raising, information, & solidarity with the 40,000 men, women, & children of Hebron intermittently imprisoned in their homes since the start of the Intifada, while 450 Israeli settlers roam their streets. The evening featured live interviews with people under siege transmitted over speakers, the reading of children's testimonies about their daily life under curfew. The testimonies were written by the children, and faxed to the Sakakini from a home in Hebron’s Old City. This was followed by the screening of a short film made exclusively for the Sakakini in Hebron under siege by TV journalist Mazen Daana, who has since been killed in Iraq in 2003. A fact sheet about the curfew and its consequences was drafted and distributed to the attendees, and to the international press.

The aim of the evening was to shed light on the daily life of people living under curfew, due to the singularity of the event that time-before the blanket curfews of the West Bank in 2002- as part of the consistent efforts of the Sakakini to record and disseminate the Palestinian experience.

Marcel Khalife Solidarity Evening. October 1999:

Khalife is the legendary Lebanese singer and composer who rose to stardom in the Arab world in the 1970s for his championing of the Palestinian cause, by putting to music and singing Mahmoud Darwish' most moving and intimate poems, as well as that of a few other Arab poets. His concerts attract thousands of people all over the Arab world, and abroad. In 1999, he was sued in Lebanon for blasphemy, for singing “Ana Youssuf ya Abi”, based on the poem “11 planets” by Mahmoud Darwish, which uses verses from the Koran.

To protest the forces of intolerance, and backwardness, and to show solidarity with this unique artist, an evening attended by over 500 people, & filmed by Palestine TV was organized by & held at the Centre, featuring speeches by Mahmoud Darwish, & by minister of culture Yasser Abed Rabbo, as well as music and songs by Samir Joubran and Bassel Zayed, whose career was launched that evening. A Lebanese court later overthrew the case against Marcel Khalife.

Mansor ben Puteh film festival: March 1999:

Noted Malaysian independent filmmaker and writer Mansor ben Puteh was invited by the Sakakini to screen a number of his films at the Centre, to acquaint the Palestinian film going audience with his work, & with the innovations of cinema in the Moslem world. Mansor met with local filmmakers during his trip, and made a short film about his experiences in Palestine.

International open Days: Ongoing.

In a bid to break our encirclement, & to acquaint our public with other countries cultures, the Sakakini organized a number of open days celebrating the popular cultures of the following countries: The Netherlands and Argentina in 1999, Peru in 2000, and Algeria in 2003. These open days feature usually a film screening, an art exhibit, a food exhibit, a concert or a dance recital, a crafts sale, a photo exhibit, a costume exhibit, etc. These events were suspended due to curfews & invasions.