Al-Awda - Voices of Resistance and Liberation

Palestinian children's theatre troupe, Al Rowwad, from Aida refugee camp outside Bethlehem, will visit New Jersey and New York from Saturday, June 18 through Thursday, June 23, as part of their four-city tour of the United States, taking them to the local area, New Haven, Connecticut; Burlington, Vermont; and Louisville, Kentucky. The performers, 10 young people ages 10-16, will perform their play, "Children of the Camps," a chronicle of Palestinian experiences through history and a testament to the continuing struggle for return, as well as dabkeh dance.

The tour is being organized by activists from many groups and participants from the progressive theater community in New York City. The troupe's New Jersey performance, scheduled for Saturday, June 18, will be sponsored by New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian American Congress - New Jersey Chapter. Venue information about the June 18 performance will be available soon; NJS and PAC will have information and tickets available for advance purchase.

The young people will spend their time in the U.S. visiting landmarks and touring, participating in joint acting exercises with U.S. youth, and connecting with Palestinian and other Arab youth in the United States.

The Al-Rowwad Center, established in 1988 by Abdelfattah Abu-Srour, serves as a cultural and theatre-training center for children in Aida camp. Featuring computers, dabkeh lessons, theatre classes, art and music classes and other outlets for creativity, the center provides a space for Palestinian young people to express their creativity through artistic creation. Much of "The Children of the Camps" was created by the children of Al-Rowwad themselves, telling the story of Palestine, from before the occupation of 1948, to al-Nakba and exile, to the Intifada, and through to today, offering commentary on the media, the so-called "peace process" and the bitter realities of Palestinian life today while pledging to continue the struggle for return and liberation. This is vividly illustrated in the lyrics of the children's songs; for example, the following lyrics from the song "1948": "You have seen what happened/ The country is swallowed by destruction/The tents filled the country...We walked in the roads of exile/We walked on fire/Our departure was not our choice/The whole world was against us/We refused the division of our country/We refused the humiliation...No right shall be lost/As long as there is resistance and those who demand/Every occupier came and then was gone/Occupation never lasts...The government of injustice, vanishes with revolution."

For more information and advance reservations for the performance of Al-Rowwad, please call (973)954-2521.

This article may be shared, reproduced or distributed under a Creative Commons License.

Al-Awda is published monthly by New Jersey Solidarity-Activists for the Liberation of Palestine. We welcome submissions, letters to the editor, cultural works, and other proposals for publication.

Contact us: Al-Awda Newspaper
(973) 954-2521
info@newjerseysolidarity.org
http://www.newjerseysolidarity.org

New Jersey Solidarity
344 Grove Street, Suite 131
Jersey City, NJ 07302

Our editorial collective is responsible for editing, laying out and developing this publication. We are open to new members who are in accord with the mission and principles of this newspaper.

Please contact us about your upcoming events and activities of interest to readers of this publication.

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May 2005	http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org
Palestinian Children's Theatre Troupe to Tour US in June Palestinian children's theatre troupe, Al Rowwad, from Aida refugee camp outside Bethlehem, will visit New Jersey and New York from Saturday, June 18 through Thursday, June 23, as part of their four-city tour of the United States, taking them to the local area, New Haven, Connecticut; Burlington, Vermont; and Louisville, Kentucky. The performers, 10 young people ages 10-16, will perform their play, "Children of the Camps," a chronicle of Palestinian experiences through history and a testament to the continuing struggle for return, as well as dabkeh dance. The tour is being organized by activists from many groups and participants from the progressive theater community in New York City. The troupe's New Jersey performance, scheduled for Saturday, June 18, will be sponsored by New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian American Congress - New Jersey Chapter. Venue information about the June 18 performance will be available soon; NJS and PAC will have information and tickets available for advance purchase. The young people will spend their time in the U.S. visiting landmarks and touring, participating in joint acting exercises with U.S. youth, and connecting with Palestinian and other Arab youth in the United States. The Al-Rowwad Center, established in 1988 by Abdelfattah Abu-Srour, serves as a cultural and theatre-training center for children in Aida camp. Featuring computers, dabkeh lessons, theatre classes, art and music classes and other outlets for creativity, the center provides a space for Palestinian young people to express their creativity through artistic creation. Much of "The Children of the Camps" was created by the children of Al-Rowwad themselves, telling the story of Palestine, from before the occupation of 1948, to al-Nakba and exile, to the Intifada, and through to today, offering commentary on the media, the so-called "peace process" and the bitter realities of Palestinian life today while pledging to continue the struggle for return and liberation. This is vividly illustrated in the lyrics of the children's songs; for example, the following lyrics from the song "1948": "You have seen what happened/ The country is swallowed by destruction/The tents filled the country...We walked in the roads of exile/We walked on fire/Our departure was not our choice/The whole world was against us/We refused the division of our country/We refused the humiliation...No right shall be lost/As long as there is resistance and those who demand/Every occupier came and then was gone/Occupation never lasts...The government of injustice, vanishes with revolution." For more information and advance reservations for the performance of Al-Rowwad, please call (973)954-2521. This article may be shared, reproduced or distributed under a Creative Commons License. Al-Awda is published monthly by New Jersey Solidarity-Activists for the Liberation of Palestine. We welcome submissions, letters to the editor, cultural works, and other proposals for publication. Contact us: Al-Awda Newspaper (973) 954-2521 info@newjerseysolidarity.org http://www.newjerseysolidarity.org New Jersey Solidarity 344 Grove Street, Suite 131 Jersey City, NJ 07302 Our editorial collective is responsible for editing, laying out and developing this publication. We are open to new members who are in accord with the mission and principles of this newspaper. Please contact us about your upcoming events and activities of interest to readers of this publication. Please contact us for advertising rates and information, or for material on becoming a distributor.

Palestinian Children's Theatre Troupe to Tour US in June