ArtSchool Palestine

Established in 1979 with a view to the development of the Palestinian heritage, Al-Funoun - The Palestinian Popular Dance Group researches and takes inspiration from basic Palestinian Arab folkloric material in the construction of a new artistic form which has a special message aimed at bringing about change in the community. Based at the Popular Arts Centre, it has performed widely throughout the West Bank and Gaza, performing at least 40 festivals and touring overseas to the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France. The group undertakes on-going research into traditional songs and dances helps to train young men and women in folk dancing and singing and has assisted in the development of many clubs and institutions. It has a youth group known as Al-Bara'im.

Theatre and Cinematheque is a non-governmental cultural specialized organization established in 1970 in Jerusalem, aims at the activation of cultural life in Palestine, and enhancing the cultural exchange between local, Arab and International cultures, through the production of its own theatrical work as well as through hosting art performances, activities, and training courses in most fields of art. The Theatre targets different sectors of society.

Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque is located in the heart of Ramallah City. It stands as the only professional fully equipped multipurpose venue in the entire Palestinian territories.

Al Kamandjâti (the violinist)

Office in Palestine

Tel/Fax: 02 297 31 01

Office in France
15, rue du petit Chaumineau 49100 Angers

Tel/Fax: 02 41 37 15 02

Email: info@alkamandjati.com

Website: www.alkamandjati.com

Al Kamandjâti is a French non-profit organization (set up under the French 1901 Association Act) created in October 2002 and recognized as a Palestinian organization since September 2004. Al Kamandjâti was founded by Ramzi Aburedwan, originate from Al Amari camp (Ramallah), he is a renowned musician and a former student of the Conservatory of Angers ( France ).

The aim of the Al Kamandjâti Association is to set up music schools for Palestinian children – in particular the most vulnerable: those living in the refugee camps(Al Amari, Al Jalazoun, Qalandiah, Ayda, Balata, Askar, Shu’fat…).

Children are the first victims of the occupation. The main purpose of Al Kamandjâti is to create an environment where education and games are children’s principal concerns. Learning music could be an escape valve to those children, who live under very harsh conditions, and make them believe in a better future.

The music schools will offer them the chance to both discover their cultural heritage and open themselves to the outside world. In addition, they will have a chance to explore their creative potential.

The musical activities we hope to provide will allow these children to have a better understanding of others as well as of their culture. Those activities contribute to creating bonds between peoples of different cultures, bonds that are a powerful vector for tolerance and openness to the world. Through cultural exchanges, peoples get to know each other. Undoubtedly, culture can be the foundation to a lasting peace.

Al Kamandjâti is now working at several refugee camps of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon . The Association has developed numerous partnerships with already-established cultural institutions.

Al-Matal Cultural Salon

Opened in March 1998, Al-Matal Cultural Saloon is a multi-disciplinary arts project centre located in a refurbished turn-of-the-century building in the old city area of Ramallah. It comprises a contemporary art gallery space with facilities for the screening of films and the presentation of literary and musical evenings, a café and a lounge area. The Cinema Production Centre is located in the offices above the Saloon and plays an active role in its on-going programme.

The A.M. Qattan Foundation is a charitable institution which was founded in 1994 and registered in the United Kingdom (charity no. 2171893). In 1998, a branch of the Foundation was registered in Palestine. The Al-Qattan family underwrites the financing of the Foundation's administration and the establishment of its projects and programmes. To ensure sustainability, independence and the highest level of services, the Foundation undertakes to secure the future running costs for its projects and programmes.

Ashtar Studios, Ground Floor, Sun Rise Building, Al-Masaif Crossroads, off Radio Street, Ramallah

The performance arm of Palestine's leading drama training organisation is a nine-member troupe comprising experienced professionals and well-trained graduates which performs extensively throughout the country. It is committed to performing two productions each year - one aimed exclusively at the Palestinian community and the other at both local and international audiences.

Baladna Cultural Centre is housed in an old Al-Bireh school building dating from 1917, which was renovated by the architectural conservation agency RIWAQ with financial support from the Spanish NGO Asamblea de Cooperation por la Paz. Its renovation was part of an ongoing trend of surveying, renovating and finding new uses for abandoned or decayed traditional buildings throughout Palestine. The Centre opened in 1997 with the aim of promoting and enhancing cultural and spiritual values amongst youth and adults, including commitment to nation-building, democracy, freedom of speech and belief, and developing historical and artistic traditions. The Centre's principal objectives are: to provide a space conducive to the development of cultural and artistic trends within the community, especially amongst youth and children; to raise environmental awareness and protection of nature and commitment to community voluntary work; to foster leadership skills amongst youth, based on democratic values such as pluralism and dialogue; to promote respect for human rights; to create links between the local community and Arab and international cultures; to bridge the generation gaps through interaction between various age groups; to encourage individuals and institutions to discuss vital issues that are relevant to the community's development; and to encourage young women to become active in their community. The Centre incorporates three ground-floor gallery spaces, an art room, a small auditorium and a café.

The Cinema Production Centre was founded in Ramallah in June 1996 by Palestinian film director Rachid Masharawi and is the first Palestinian centre concerned with improving the film industry in Palestine. Its main goal is to develop Palestinian cinema by producing and distributing Palestinian films both at home and abroad and offering Palestinian people greater access to quality local and world cinema. The Centre comprises two departments. The Production Department is the Centre's film production arm, which makes films and at the same time maximises the opportunities presented by each production to train Palestinians in all aspects of film-making including directing, acting, lighting, sound, make up, costume design and art direction. In this way, a series of four short Palestinian films produced in 1998 by new directors from the West Bank and Gaza provided professional training and employment for up to 120 people. The Centre's Mobile Cinema Department was established in January 1997 to take film out into a Palestinian community long denied access to quality cinema. Comprising portable video and 35mm/16mm film projectors, cinema screen, sound system and film splicing table, the Mobile Cinema serves communities who would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience quality cinema, including remote villages and refugee camps.

Established in 1985, the 30-strong Sirriyat Ramallah Al-Ula Folk Dance Group has won numerous awards for its work and is one of the most popular touring dance companies in Palestine. It has participated in many arts festivals throughout the wider region and has also toured overseas, appearing at the Womad Festival in London in 1993 and at the Festival of Al-Seyaq Ramadan at the Cairo Opera House in 1995.

Established in Beirut in 1980 by poet Mahmoud Darwish, the Carmel Foundation has ever since issued a quarterly literary journal of the same name, Al-Karmel. One of the most prestigious literary publications in the Arab world, the journal includes works of prose and poetry, essays of literary criticism, sociology and anthropology by prominent and up-and-coming Palestinian and Arab writers and an important translation section. A number of books were published by Al-Karmel during the early 1990s. In 1998 the first French-language edition of Al-Karmel was produced in conjunction with the French Ministry of Culture and French publishing house Actes Sud.

The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre Foundation is a non- governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in Palestine. The Sakakini Centre was founded in 1996, and is located in Ramallah in a restored traditional mansion. The Sakakini works in three areas: The visual arts, Palestinian identity and narrative, and holding regular public activities such as: Art exhibitions, concerts, literary events, film screenings, children's activities and lectures.

Birzeit University Department of Continuing Education, Al-Rawdah Street (off Radio Street), Ramallah

The National Music Conservatoire was established in 1993 under the sponsorship of Birzeit University to meet the urgent need for music education amongst young Palestinians in view of the absence of music studies in the school curriculum and the scarcity of qualified private teachers. Its aims are: to teach music to children on an academic and professional basis; to train music teachers; to prepare music curricula for schools; to train instrumentalists for future ensembles and orchestras; to secure grants for promising students to further their training abroad; to support and guide existing music groups; to enhance music appreciation in general; and to study and research Palestinian folkloric music. The Conservatory's academic programme comprises two programmes. The first of these is the regular eight-year programme for students up to the age of 18 years leading to high school matriculation which qualifies students to go to any university or music academy of their choice; a one- or two-year preparatory programme is preferred (though not mandatory) for children under 8 years old. The second is a special programme which trains amateur musicians and music lovers without the need to comply with the regular curriculum or sit for exams. The regular programme consists of training in classical and Arabic music and includes ear training, history and appreciation of Arabic, classical, jazz and world music.

The Palestinian Folklore Centre was opened in 1972 within the Palestinian women's charity In'ash El-Usra, which works to improve the position of women in the local community by running vocational training centres in such areas as nursing, embroidery, beauty culture and secretarial skills, and also organises a wide range of other activities including an orphanage, a bakery, a clinic and a child-care centre. The Society is committed to the preservation and development of the Palestinian folkloric heritage and for reasserting a Palestinian identity which has been threatened on all fronts. The Palestinian Folklore Centre is run by a committee comprising members of the Society and experts in the field. Its main functions include compiling folkloric material such as songs, proverbs, sayings, tales, customs and tools; publishing a quarterly journal entitled ‘Heritage and Society' plus books on a variety of folkloric topics; staging occasional folkloric festivals; and running the Palestinian Folklore Museum. The Centre maintains a small archive.

The Open Workshop for Culture and Art (OWCA)

The OWCA is located in the middle of the West Bank, 13 km from Rammallah City and 10 minutes from Birzeit University Campus

Tel: 00972 2 2816483

Mob: 00972 599 868914, 00972 599 541860, 00972 599 609046

E-mail: owcainfo@owca.org

Website: http://www.owca.org/aboutus.html

The Open Workshop for Culture and Art (OWCA)” is a neighbourhood based art and cultural organization located in Ramallah/ Palestine . Established in 2005 on a site of four huge houses, its main goal is to connect the work of artists with the revitalization of the community. The Open Workshop for Culture and Arts is considered one of the unique initiatives in Palestine that invites national and international artists to exchange views and experiences all year round.

Established in 1987 and opened in 1988, the Popular Art Centre is one of the West Bank's leading multi-disciplinary cultural centres. Its stated aims are to develop an appreciation for and to enhance the arts in Palestine; to help strengthen the talents of local artists and arts groups; to promote cultural activities for children; to build links between Palestinian artists and communities in the Diaspora; to promote international cultural exchange; and to contribute to the preservation of Palestinian folkloric heritage. To this end the Centre offers a wide range of cultural activities within its Al-Bireh premises, which comprise a 43-seat cinema and a 100 square-metre dance studio, a video room, a photographic dark room and a library. Regular programmes include a cinema club with nightly film screenings and film seasons presented in conjunction with overseas cultural missions; a monthly Cultural Forum featuring distinguished speakers on cultural topics; and a range of classes for children and adults including photography, video, aerobics and a variety of dance styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary, jazz, movement and dabke. PAC also organises the annual two-month ‘Art For Everybody' outreach programme which exposes children from villages, refugee camps and other (artistically) poor backgrounds to a range of different arts activities such as music and singing, dance, drama, painting and puppet-making, to compensate for the lack of arts and cultural facilities in their schools and homes. In order to help preserve and develop the Palestinian folkloric tradition the Centre is working with the Media Centre of Birzeit University on the Palestinian Traditional Music Research Project, an ongoing programme which involves research, collection, cataloguing and recording of traditional Palestinian instrumental and vocal music. As part of this project an archive of recordings, video film and photographs is currently being developed and a CD entitled ‘Traditional Music and Songs from Palestine' has already been released. The Popular Art Centre organises three major arts festivals - the annual Nowwar Nissan Children's Festival, the Palestine International Film Festival and the Palestine International Festival. The Centre is the home base of the acclaimed Al-Funoun - The Palestinian Popular Dance Group and also has its own Arabic music ensemble, the Maraseena Music Group.

RIWAQ is a non-profit organisation established in 1991 in order to conserve and protect the architectural cultural heritage of Palestine and to promote and develop an indigenous Palestinian style of architecture based on firmly-rooted traditions and techniques. To this end it is drawing up an Inventory and National Register of historic and cultural property of both national and local importance suitable for protection; examining the impact of policy and legislation on cultural property and its protection; establishing management guidelines for cultural resources; undertaking documentation, research and analysis of Palestinian vernacular architecture (including peasant, bedouin and urban); encouraging the revival of traditional building crafts and skills; developing appropriate building technology and materials; encouraging public interest in the architectural heritage and cultural property of Palestine and raising awareness of the importance of conserving it; providing a forum for architects, artists, draftspersons and other concerned individuals who, through RIWAQ, can work on issues of common interest; and organising short-term training courses, seminars, lectures and exhibitions. RIWAQ has already rehabilitated a number of historic buildings for cultural, youth and community usage, including the Khalil Sakakini and Baladna Cultural Centres in Ramallah.

Opened in 1998, this city-centre café-gallery host a regular programme of contemporary Palestinian and overseas art as well as music performances on its small stage.