The [zait wa: zaʕtar] Festival presents Palestinian culture less known to audiences in Germany and elsewhere. Its events reveal the beauty of Palestinian culture – a diverse and vibrant culture as it is alive in Palestine and its diasporic communities today; in everyday life as much as in high culture. The festival aims to contribute in a meaningful and positive way to the image of Palestine and Palestinians that exists in many places in an incomplete and biased way. Palestinian culture is shown from all kinds of angles, and in a way that makes audiences ‘feel’ Palestine.
The [zait wa: zaʕtar] Festival for Palestinian Arts & Culture presents an opportunity to meet to talk about films, exhibitions, literature, music and much more. We are presenting narratives less explored, like the vital role Palestinian literature plays in preserving diasporic as well as Palestinian identities. Like the importance of archives and memory for preserving a collective identity. The meaning of food for constituting and expressing one’s identity (although, due to Covid, the cooking workshops have had to be postponed to the next season). How performing parkour is an acrobatic, artistic and meaningful way to claim one’s right to freedom of movement.
In this season, which has been dominated so much by covid-related regulations, digital audiences in Berlin and elsewhere have the opportunity to expand their imaginations and thoughts on Palestine and Palestinians. We are showing the exhibition Eyes of Gaza عيون غزه from May 18 to May 22nd in Forum Factory Berlin, visiting the exhibition is possible by personal appointment and according to the covid regulations in place during that week. Different workshops and panels will also be screened live from Forum Factory, please check our website or our facebook page.
We were hoping to receive a film from Amjad Al Fayoumi, a photographer and our partner in Gaza, to show via online screening during the next week. This has now become practically impossible, especially since his office and studio have been hit by the bombs on Gaza in the last days. The building, which housed mainly offices of media and film productions, was destroyed; Amjad is alive, but all he could save was a camera and a lens.
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Support our [zait wa: zaʕtar] Festival for Palestinian Arts and Culture here.
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Read an interview here with Cora Josting, curator of the festival, and Nahed Awwad, Nahed Awwad is the curator of the exhibition Eyes of Gaza عيون غزه which is part of the festival and opens on 18th May.
