2010 REPORT

38 ARTISTS 6 DAYS 7 CITIES 5 UNIVERSITIES 2,400 AUDIENCE

OVERVIEW
The 3rd Palestine Festival of Literature took place from May 1st 6th The Festival opened and closed in Jerusalem. It toured to Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah. We were unable to get permits to go to Gaza. Sixteen international authors, 4 theatre practitioners and a photographer made up the travelling group. They were joined in Palestine by 10 Palestinian authors and 2 music groups.

SUSAN ABULHAWA

SUHEIR HAMMAD NATHALIE HANDAL SELINA HASTINGS RACHEL HOLMES MAY JAYYUSI AMANI JUNEIDI REMI KANAZI NANCY KRICORIAN HENNING MANKELL RITU MENON

SONIA NIMR EUGENE SCHOULGIN HALA SHROUF RAJA SHEHADEH MAHMOUD SHUQAIR WILLIAM SUTCLIFFE TASHWEESH WILDWORKS AMIR NIZAR ZUABI AL QUDS ENSEMBLE

TAHA MUHAMMAD ALI

SUAD AMIRY SUSANNAH CLAPP NAJWAN DARWISH FALASTINE DWIKAT GEOFF DYER JILLIAN EDELSTEIN ROSE FENTON ADAM FOULDS

Last minute cancellations were Hisham Matar, Arundhati Roy & James Wood. The PalFest team was: Christina Baum (PalFest Organiser), Omar Robert Hamilton (PalFest Creative Producer), Alice Caronna (filmmaker), Raquel Vicedo (PalFest volunteer), Louise Hosking (PalFest volunteer), Victoria Brittain, Alison Elliot, Sheila Whitaker (PalFest Board), John Horner (PalFest Treasurer) & Ahdaf Soueif (PalFest Chair).

PRIMARY PARTNERS

MUSTAFA BEIDAS , DALE EGEE , ALISON ELLIOT , AREF HAKKI , ZINA JARADNEH , RIAD KAMAL HENNING MANKELL , RANA SADIK & SAMER YOUNIS , AHDAF SOUEIF , SHEILA WHITAKER

PALFEST 2010 WAS CONDUCTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 24 PALESTINIAN ORGANISATIONS

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

OBJECTIVES ATTAINED
PalFests stated objectives are:
1. To bring world class cultural events to Palestinian communities that would otherwise have no access to them. 2. To support Palestinian cultural life. 3. To create active, nurturing, cultural links between Palestine and the UK. 4. To renew media interest in the human situation in Palestine. 5. To enable some of the most vocal and respected opinionforming literary artists in the western world to experience the situation at the heart of the Arab world.

A full house at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah

1. To bring world class cultural events to Palestinian communities that would otherwise have no access to them.
Events included
* Lectures and workshops with students at Bethlehem, BirZeit, al-Khalil/Hebron, anNajah and al-Quds Universities. * Evening events in Jerusalem (at the Palestinian National Theatre and the African Community Society), Nablus (Hamam al-Shifa), Beit Wazan (Qasr al Qasem) and Ramallah (the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre). * Workshops with students at the Jenin Freedom Theatre and the Yafa Cultural Centre (Balata Camp). * A video-conference with students, teachers and activists in Gaza. * A visit to the Interactive Mathematics Museum and to the Prisoners Museum at alQuds university. Tours of Hebron Old City with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, of the Wall around Bethlehem with Reverend Mitri Raheb, and of Silwan with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. * A performance of I am Yusuf and this is my Brother at the Freedom Theatre. * Exhibition openings of Rachid Koraichis Ode to Beirut an artistic collaboration with Mahmoud Darwish. * Staged readings of Raja Shehadehs Palestinian Walks by theatre companies in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem and Ramallah.

* A total of 20 PalFest events across 7 days were free and open to the public.

The Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb and PalFest at the Wall in Bethlehem

2. To support cultural life in Palestine

Thank you PalFest for all the efforts you have put into this year's events. The meetings, the workshops, the readings- they were all very inspiring . the ones that I [attended] were truly moving and enriching. Just the fact that events took place in various parts of the occupied West Bank, and have made a connection with the occupied Gaza strip, is indeed a step towards fighting for our justice and freedom. Kindly accept my modest words and see you again next year. Manar Harb The workshops were amazing. I had a lot of fun With Susan Abulhawa and William Sutcliffe Thanks a lot for coming to our beloved college, I had an outstanding experience at the workshops. Hani Abdo

Having PalFest authors come to Bethlehem University to speak and hold workshops with the English majors proved very exciting for many of the students. Most, if not all, of these students from the Bethlehem area never get a chance to meet well-known figures especially in the literary world. To have such prestigious names talk to students about their experiences and to be able to encourage and talk to them about their work proved fruitful. The English Department is very small and the participants were able to meet with small groups and the students were able to speak to them one on one and share information and advice. Bethlehem University is looking forward to having Palfest again next year! Paola Handal Bethlehem University

War on culture is more dangerous and important to resist than physical war, because it is more discrete and intricate. In addition to its actual physical war of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, Israel more quietly and more dangerously conquers our culture. PalFest solidifies and reinforces Palestinian literature and culture thus helping the Palestinian people resist Israeli conquest of Palestinian literary and cultural identity. Wafa Darwish al-Quds University

3. To create active, nurturing, cultural links between Palestine and the UK

In 2010 PalFest was honoured to add Philip Pullman and Emma Thompson to our distinguished list of patrons. PalFest has initiated, midwifed and inspired a number of promising educational and artistic activities:

1. The Palestine Writers Workshop The Palestine Writers Workshop invites PalFest authors to return to Palestine to conduct week-long creative writing workshops. Rachel Holmes took the pilot class in November 2009 with Remi Kanazi following in February and Jeremy Harding in July. These all took place in co-operation with BirZeit Universitys Centre for Continuing Education Robin Yassin-Kassab is scheduled to take the first workshop in Nablus in September.

Rachel Holmes creative writing workshop

2. The Hay Festival of Literature Ahdaf Soueif discussed PalFest on stage with Jon Snow in the prime-time slot on the first Saturday night of the festival. Henning Mankell had been due to join, but was unable to, as he was on board the Flotilla.

3. London Literature Festival Susan Abulhawa appeared at the London Literature Festival in a joint event partnered between PalFest and the LLF in July.

4. Poetry International In November the Poetry International Festival on the South Bank will focus on poetry from the Arab World. As a direct result of their involvement with PalFest, poets Suheir Hammad, Remi Kanazi and audio-visual group Tashweesh will all be featured.

5. Internships We are working with registered charity Project Hope on bringing interns from Palestine to work in top literary institutions. So far we have placements agreed at the South Bank Centre and Bloomsbury Publishing.

6. WildWorks Theatre Company WildWorks are an exciting, landscape theatre company based in Cornwall. At the moment they have a major installation in Kensington Palace. Three members attended PalFest 2010 and they are now actively looking to raise funds to return for an extended stay and sow the seeds of a co-production with Palestinian artists.

7. Shiber Hur Theatre PalFest and Palestinian theatre director, Amir Nizar Zuabi, are exploring the possibility of co-producing a new play to premiere at PalFest 2011. This would be a serious financial commitment, but potentially very important. Zuabis previous play I am Yusuf and this is my Brother was co-produced with the Young Vic, and was a huge success.

8. PEN International Eugene Schoulgin, International Secretary of International PEN, 2010 participant, is now looking to revamp PEN Palestine. PalFest 2010 participant Nancy Kricorian is talking to PEN American Center's Freedom to Write Committee about how PEN USA could support writers in Palestine and what it might do to foster the values that PEN espouses in Occupied Palestine.

4. To renew media interest in the human situation in Palestine

one of the world's most significant and certainly most courageous literary festivals
(Glass magazine)

Big articles about the festival were carried in the New York Times, the Guardian, the BBC World Service, al-Jazeera English, the Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Quarterly, PULSE media, Glass Magazine and the Bookseller. All press clippings are linked at www.palfest.org/Press.html

A PalFest performance at Qasr el Qasem, Nablus

5. To enable some of the most vocal and respected opinionforming artists in the western world to experience the situation at the heart of the Arab world.
Adam Foulds Booker prize nominated novelist and poet has written a piece for the Jewish Chronicle entitled Correcting my Vision in Palestine. Jillian Edelstein, world-renowned photographer, is hosting a sale of her prints as a fundraiser for PalFest. Her pictures appeared with Adam Foulds article. She is also working on a photo diary spread with another PalFest author. Henning Mankell, who first came to Palestine with PalFest 09, was on board the Freedom Flotilla. He is one of the top selling novelists in the world.

AUTHOR QUOTES
Carrying words from one mind to another is one of the most important things that human beings can do. Every literary act, whether its a great epic poem or an honest piece of journalism or a simple nonsense tale for children is a blow against the forces of stupidity and ignorance and darkness - and we should esteem them and treasure them and defend them all to the same degree. The Palestine Festival of Literature exists to do just that - and I salute it for its work. Not only this year but for as long as its necessary.

Philip Pullman PalFest Patron

PalFest has quickly established itself a much-loved international festival. As a charity, it is unique in bringing creativity, beauty, partnership, and tolerance into all our lives, and I can't think of many cultural institutions more deserving of our funding and our full support

Andrew O'Hagan
The festival is a recognition of the independent life of the Palestinian people. Coming through the invisible barrier of fear has actually filled me with hope. I found deep humanity on the other side.

Adam Foulds
You and your team have done a fantastic job. Thanks for being who you are and for giving us such exposure to wonderful people. Palestine is proud of you.

Suad Amiry

The pictures I have with me in my mind of all these great persons we met, the beauty of the country despite the grey wound which like a dreadful scar cuts the landscape and the city sites, and the engaging events we took part in. Last but not least I would like to mention all the students, their faces and their openness to us who came in from the "other side" of all their walls! Eugene Schoulgin International Secretary International PEN

"I was going to say that PalFest was the most intense and rewarding literary festival I have ever been part of, but of course it's a festival like no other. It is so much more than a festival. Stimulating and enjoyable - I hope so anyway! for the Palestinians, it is an eye-opening and moving educational experience for the visiting participants. In just a few years it has established itself as a vital part of the cultural and political calendar."

Geoff Dyer

PalFest woke me up to the extremities of the conditions that the Palestinians are coping with on a daily basis in the West Bank. There is no other way to bring the situation closer to mind and experience than living it. I would say that the trip has been profoundly affecting. I would urge leaders, writers, politicians, artists...anyone really who has the means to highlight the plight of the Palestinians , to journey to that troubled area. When people live with extreme oppression they imagine their freedom - the right to travel where they want to go, the ability to see the movies, the theatre they want to see, read the books they'd like to read and laugh with abandon. PalFests visits and contributions allows them to dream that dream just for a moment in time. I feel it is essential to continue the work and visit again and again.

Jillian Edelstein

As a poet and teacher, PalFest provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with Palestinian youth, educators, and local communities in a way I hadn't before. PalFest proved to be an enriching experience that I will remain forever grateful_for.

Remi Kanazi

My trip to the West Bank with the Palestine Festival of Literature was truly lifechanging. Despite thinking I was reasonably well-informed about the region, this week of intense travelling, talking, listening, teaching and learning demonstrated to me that nothing you can read will ever give you a real sense of what it means to live under military occupation. Equally, physically seeing the wall, talking to people who live in its shadow, and going through the checkpoints was a visceral and unforgettable experience. To feel the shock of undergoing these daily realities of Palestinian life is to make the simplest yet most profound connection between politics and human emotion, and therefore to understand the situation in a way that no-one who has never visited could. As a human being and as a writer, this was a revelatory experience. I left the West Bank filled with admiration for the stoicism, resilience, humour, bravery and hospitality of the Palestinian people. Though I have never witnessed more brutal oppression in twenty years of travelling on every continent of the globe, my encounters with the writers, students and residents of the West Bank, and also with the inspiring group of fellow participants from around the world, left me uplifted and inspired. I am immensely grateful for having_had_the_opportunity_to_participate.

William Sutcliffe

Christina Baum, Fiona McMorrough, Raja Shehadeh & William Sutcliffe in al Khalil / Hebron

TO SUM UP
PalFest 2010 was the biggest yet. In terms of audience attendance, student participation, production and design it was the best yet. PalFest is now integrated into the Palestinian cultural scene, welcomed back every year, and asked for in the towns and universities it is unable to visit. It engages smoothly and correctly with Palestinian artists and cultural practitioners. In the UK it has gathered an excellent reputation both for its artistic excellence and its engaged position. It is starting to make inroads into the cultural consciousness of the USA. However, we are holding it together with a serious shortage of staff. And we now find ourselves at a crossroads. Every year the festival strains to grow. If natural growth is to be allowed to happen PalFest needs sustainable funding for 2011 and 2012. PalFest thanks each and every one of its authors, funders, volunteers, patrons, partners and friends.

www.palfest.org