The Bethlehem-based Dar Al-Kalima University, in partnership with the German Association for Adult Education, concluded yesterday the ‘Tales from Palestine’ project in Germany and Austria, where a delegation from Dar Al-Kalima University’s administration and students presented the event to hundreds of audiences in these two European countries. Vice President of Dar Al-Kalima University for Development, Rana Khoury, said, ‘Today we conclude the activities of the ‘Tales from Palestine’ festival, which was organized in several cities in Germany and Austria, with a distinguished and diverse attendance exceeding 2000 people. The importance and success of the festival lie in its ability to create new creative, participatory spaces as well as the extent of audience interaction and the groups, some of which for the first time hear about Palestine, with the various activities presented by our students and partners from various Palestinian villages, including music, photo exhibitions, fine art, handicrafts, traditional foods, and others, all of which expressed the deep-rooted, authenticity, and diversity of our Palestinian heritage and culture for the geographic areas.’ Professor Issam Awad, director of the Tales from Palestine project said: ‘At the conclusion of this great event, we thank our partners in the German Association for Adult Education in Palestine and the Federal Republic of Germany, and our partners in Vienna Acts in Austria, in addition to our eight partners in the adult education centers in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, for their support. I hope to renew cooperation and build on this three-year-old project that is nearing its end.’ The festival included artistic and cultural workshops, art exhibitions, and exhibitions of heritage products, in addition to musical performances under the supervision of the Palestinian musician Marwan Abado and his students, the Greek qanun player Sophia Labropoulou and her students, and the participation of Dar Al-Kalima University students Abdel Fattah al-Qawasmi and Mahmoud Shanaa from the Master’s in Arts Therapy program, and Bechara al-Maso, from the Bachelor of Performing Arts program, specializing in music, in addition to singer Omar al-Adam. The festival also included the screening of three films directed by graduates of Dar Al-Kalima University. The first film is titled ‘Ambience’ by Wissam Jaafari, the second film is titled ‘Your Words Were a Song,’ the project film by Thaer al-Azza, and the third film is ‘Sarri Merry’ by Louay Awad. The Palestinian community and attendees in Germany and Austria expressed their joy, interaction, and excitement at the festival as the Palestinian heritage songs were admired by the Palestinian community amidst warm applause. The festival concluded with an artistic and cultural evening that included many musical and heritage performances and the presentation of Palestinian food, as Dar Al-Kalima University constantly organizes international and local exhibitions, activities, festivals, and artistic and cultural weeks.
Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA