Posted May 12, 2011 by AWMWC in Art and Culture

From Tahreer Square to Jerusalem Concert-Call of Freedom

It’s curfew in Palestine. “The Army surrounds our neighbourhood. I sit on my bed writing a poem, the tank outside my window is probably reading this over my shoulder, I keep writing…” says a poet from Tulkarm.

For many, art was the only freedom of expression allowed, because art is safe, unarmed.

But in January 2011, it was the artists, the writers, the musicians the comedians who walked into Tahrir Square and stood in the face of armed state police. Defenceless but for the conviction in their hearts. A conviction that said, unarmed but not powerless. Unarmed but not afraid. This was the conviction of artists, writers and musicians in Tunisia, and elsewhere in the Arab world who still sing in the face of dictators, occupation, civil war and bombardment. It was also the same conviction of Palestinian filmmaker and director of the Freedom Theatre Juliano Mer-Khamis who walked into the Jenin refugee camp he called “the most attacked place in Palestine” every day to wipe away the fear in the eyes of 10 year old kids traumatized by war.

Saturday 4 June at 6pm

Logan Hall

Institute of Education, Russell Square

20 Bedford Way

London WC1H 0AL

Artists

Amal Murkus (Singer/ Songwriter)

Ayman Safieh (Ballet Performance)

Nizar al-Issa (Oud Master)

And others…

Tickets

(Caabu seats are at the front of theatre)