IMEU : Life & Culture

July's Palestine International Festival (This Week in Palestine)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:10:01 PST

July is the time of the annual Palestine International Festival - notably the largest and most prestigious event of its kind on the cultural scene, showcasing both local and international artists. This year is special in that the festival is an integral part of the Al-Quds, Capital of Arab Culture programme of activities that celebrates the concept, "Jerusalem unites us and should not divide us."

Young Palestinians in Gaza find their voice through hip-hop (Jordan Flaherty, The Electronic Intifada)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:08:48 PST

The Maqusi Towers in Gaza City look a bit like US housing projects. The neighborhood consists of several tall apartment buildings grouped together in the northern part of town. It is also ground zero for Gaza's growing Hip-Hop community. On a recent evening in one small but well-decorated apartment, a dozen rappers and their friends and families relaxed, danced, smoked flavored tobacco, and rapped the lyrics to some of their songs.

Palestinian festival celebrates literature despite Israel's efforts (Sousan Hammad, The Electronic Intifada)

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:41:08 PST

For many Palestinians, the month of May is associated with the commemoration of the Nakba. But with the increasing popularity of the arts in Palestine, the second annual Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) harmoniously unfolded to the final days of spring, a time also for lavender and lilies.

The untold stories (IMEU)

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:51:00 PST

As the 61st anniversary of the Nakba, or "the Catastrophe," approaches, the IMEU presents a look at some of the untold stories behind one of the most important - and tragic - dates in Palestinian history. Several Palestinian refugees share their stories of loss, separation, and exile that illuminate the pain behind the day that changed the lives of so many Palestinians.

Video: Fairtrade supports Palestinian farmers (Al Jazeera English)

Sun, 10 May 2009 01:40:42 PST

The International Fairtrade Association aims to provide farmers in the developing world with a fair share of the profits. For a Palestinian olive oil company which markets its product through the association, exports have soared after Israel's war on Gaza. Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports from the West Bank, where Israeli restrictions have barred Palestinian farmers from accessing thousands of acres of olive orchards.

Staging a revolution (Patrick Martin, Globe and Mail)

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:09:23 PST

Walk down the unpaved lanes of the Jenin refugee camp, past the many posters of martyrs, and you'll find The Freedom Theatre - a drama school in its third year and a budding acting company that just staged its debut show: a production of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

One on one with Palestinian-American poet Suheir Hammad (Al Jazeera English)

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:28:25 PST

As the child of Palestinian refugees who moved to Brooklyn, New York at the age of five, award-winning poet and author Suheir Hammad's early life was infused with the city's bustling hip-hop scene and the angst of Arab dispossession, much of which reveals itself in the depths of her poetry and writing. Although she was born in Amman, Jordan, her childhood was constantly filled with her parents' stories about their ancestral home in Palestine.

Video: War on Gaza relived on West Bank stage (Al Jazeera English)

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:24:02 PST

While Palestinian leaders have been slowly edging towards reconciliation, its people are still dealing with the aftermath of Israel's latest offensive on Gaza. A group of actors in the West Bank have staged a play which focuses on the injustices of the war. Nour Odeh reports on how Israel's war on Gaza is likely to live long in the minds of Palestinians.

Video: Gazan man takes to the streets to promote national unity (Al Jazeera English)

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:55:46 PST

While the leaders of the various Palestinian factions are in Cairo discussing a unity government - one Gazan has taken it upon himself to heal the rifts. Yasser Meheissen, known as the Sheikh of National Unity, has collected 270,000 signatures urging factions to unite under one voice - and spends his days promoting unity from the ground-up, by engaging ordinary Palestinians on the streets of Gaza.

Art exhibit to kick off 'Jerusalem: Capital of Arab Culture 2009' celebration (This Week in Palestine)

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:38:26 PST

Through their Eyes is an exhibition that brings together Palestinian artists who, over decades, have been painting Jerusalem in a wide array of rich representations, using various themes, styles and mediums. The focus is on the works that reflected their different representations of the city, their impressions, memories, images and recollections before its occupation in 1967, and after.