Last week, The Freedom Theatre was\u00a0the centre of the first Cultural Resistance Festival of Palestinian Theatre. From April 4-7, several events were organised to celebrate the theatre\u2019s 12th anniversary as well as marking the death of co-founder Juliano Mer Khamis and the April 2002 invasion of Jenin refugee camp. The festival turned out to be a meeting place for many friends and supporters of The Freedom Theatre\u00a0including\u00a0daily\u00a0theatre performances, by The Freedom Theatre as well as Palestinian theatre from Ramallah and Best Jala.\u00a0A few highlights of the event below:<\/p>\n
Day 1: Opening and sharing stories<\/strong> In the afternoon Ahmed Tobasi\u2019s production And Here I Am<\/a><\/em> was staged to a full house in Jenin camp. His impressive one man show, inspired by his own struggle growing up in Jenin Refugee Camp, received a standing ovation from the\u00a0local and international audience. Day 2: Meeting with Friends<\/strong> Day 3: Out in the fields<\/strong>
\nThe first day of the festival was particularly busy, with international guests arriving from France, Germany, UK, Austria, Italy and USA. Upon arrival, an exhibition of the photography and cartoon workshops<\/a>\u00a0was displayed, showcasing the work of our photography students in 2017. After a lunch with the guests, staff and actors, the festival was officially opened by Nabeel Al-Raee, Artistic Director, who commemorated the mournful murder of Juliano Mer-Khamis, exactly 7 years ago on that day.<\/p>\n
\nAdnan Naghnaghiye (technical manager) led a\u00a0tour through the Jenin Refugee Camp for several of the guests and shared stories about how the occupation affects the daily life in the camp.\u00a0The evening started with the screening of Juliano\u2019s documentary Arna\u2019s Children<\/em>, giving some of the international guests further insight into Jenin\u2019s and The Freedom Theatres history.<\/p>\n
\nMost of the day was reserved for closed meetings with the Friends Associations<\/a>. Representatives of the French as well as the USA\u2019s Friends of TFT made it to the festival to talk about future plans.
\nThe day ended with a performance, Maramieh<\/em><\/a> by Al-Harah Theatre. The play, based on 6 testimonies of the Nakba in 1948, again caught the attention of the festival\u2019s guests as well as some local audience.<\/p>\n
\nThe third day of the festival started early with a walk through the Jenin district, providing a brief\u00a0history about how the occupation affects the area, which is surrounded by the separation wall and the impact of the occupation on the daily life of the\u00a0villagers.\u00a0A traditional Palestinian breakfast\u00a0was cooked and enjoyed out in the field, overlooking the beauty of northern West bank hills.\u00a0Back at the theatre, one of TFT\u2019s successful productions was performed by graduates of The Freedom Theatre Acting school. Return to Palestine<\/a><\/em> shows the humorous and heart breaking journey of an American Palestinian returning to his homeland.<\/p>\n