Amnesty International - Commemorating Al-Nakba

In May I went to an event at Amnesty International to commemorate the Nakba and celebrate Palestinian culture.

There was a dabke performance by Zajel, a young group from London, music from Phil Monsour and Raast, a talk from Atif from Zaytoun and poetry from Rafeef Ziadah.

Below are a selection of videos from the evening.

Leila x

Richard II - Palestinian Shakespeare comes to the Globe

Ashtar Theatre receive a rapturous applause 

On Saturday night Ashtar Theatre, a Palestinian theatre group formed in Jerusalem in 1991 but now based in Ramallah, performed Shakespeare's Richard II at Shakespeare's Globe as part of the 'Globe to Globe' festival, with all 37 Shakespeare plays performed in 37 languages.

Ashtar Theatre was established by two Palestinian actors - Edward Muallem and Iman Aoun - and is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting commitment to change, training, performing and bringing shows to marginalised audiences, who may not be able to come to their theatre in Ramallah. Ashtar are perhaps best known for their production The Gaza Monologues, which told the real stories of children from Gaza following the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip in December 2008.

Against a backdrop of political discourse surrounding the Globe's decision to allow the Israeli theatre company Habima to participate in the festival, despite its record of involvement with illegally-built Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, the significance of a Palestinian theatre company being invited to perform was sadly somewhat overlooked.

Nevertheless, Ashtar's performance was highly commendable. Although performed in Arabic, two digital screens mounted each side of the stage summarised briefly in English the events in each scene. The acting was highly polished, with characters using the entire theatre space, not just the stage, to run amongst the audience, interacting with individuals and delivering lines from the steps leading down into the standing area of the 'globe'. The competency of the cast was tested when a helicopter flew over the top of the globe, drowning out the voices onstage, but this was deftly included into the scene, much to the laughter and applause of the audience!

For non-arabic speakers, the delivery of lines, facial expressions and music effectively created the mood in each scene and enabled the audience to grasp easily what action was taking place. Heavy emotion was contrasted well with light-hearted touches of humour, particularly emanating from the laughable, vain King when he interacted with the audience of 'peasants' watching from the 'cattle area'.

One particularly moving scene between Richard II (played by Sami Metwasi) and his Queen (Bayan Shbib) effectively portrayed their anguish, despair and love for one another in a way which did not require an understanding of the words spoken to feel the emotions of the fateful pair. The King's demise at the end of the play was handled in a way which almost made you pity the narcissistic, petty Richard.

My beautiful souvenir from the play!

There was a palpable sense of pride throughout the audience during the bow at the end of the play. Palestinian flags were waved, roses were thrown and the cast returned to bow several times due to such high demand! I ended up with a beautiful white rose when it was thrown back into the audience (along with many other flowers from the gracious cast).

Leila
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2012 London Palestine Film Festival - Review

I attended the final evening of the 2012 London Palestine Film Festival on Thursday, where a series of short films by young women filmmakers from Palestine were being screened.

The films were presented by a Palestinian NGO, Shashat (meaning 'screens' in arabic), under the title 'The Spring of Young Palestinian Women Filmmakers'. This was followed by a panel discussion, chaired by the director of Shashat, Dr Alia Arasoughly. Shashat is an organisation dedicated to the development of Palestinian women filmmakers in the face of adversity.

The president of Shashat (whose name I unfortunately missed) opened the screening, proclaiming 'Israelis have been trying to eradicate the traces of our cultural heritage', setting the tone for an evening of cultural defiance and resistance.

However, the panel made it clear after the screening that pressures on those vehicles for Palestinian culture can also come from internal sources. Governmental censorship and the self-censorship of the media and the public also pose challenges for filmmakers in Palestine. The media was described as 'opportunistic' by Dr Arasoughly, who are quick to condemn 'controversial' films with themes such as female menstruation, incest and pre-marital relationships, until they see the popularity of the films with the masses, when their stance reverses, legitimising the work of organisations such as Shashat.

Often, films are banned in Gaza or the West Bank due to public outcry, and director / producer Laila Abbas (protegee of Shashat and currently on an MA scholarship in the UK, studying film producing) argued, that 'mirroring real life in film doesn't happen like it should.' Film titles banned in parts of Palestine include 'Just Forbidden' (screened at the festival) and 'Golden Pomegranate Seeds'.

'Just Forbidden' - Fadya Salah Aldeen

There are currently no film schools in Palestine and only one or two cinemas. Very few young women study filmmaking at universities such as Hebron, Al-Quds and An-Najah, and those who do are competing with 'pushy' men who clamour for equipment where the ratio is often 1 camera for every 20 students. They often fall into the role of 'production assistant' gaining little experience behind the camera itself.

Sometimes the challenge comes from the families of the girls, who don't approve of the profession, the travelling involved, or for other reasons. Shashat plays a brilliant role in nurturing these girls and helping them to overcome these challenges, running annual summer programmes for them to develop their filmmaking techniques, and screening their work within Palestine and abroad. Laila Abbas said that Shashat gave her 'the confidence to run projects' in 'one of the most difficult, stressful jobs' around.

Films screened on the night


'If U Say Yes or if U Say No', 'Jerusalem on the Messenger', 'Girls and the Sea', 'Just Forbidden', 'Kamkamah' and 'The Sister and her Brother' were all screened.

The evening began with 'Jerusalem on the Messenger', a comedy about a man talking on MSN messenger with 'Salma' (who we don't see). With little dialogue, in order to impress Salma, the man has told the lie that he lives in Jerusalem - a lie which spins out of control, resulting in the photoshopping of some pictures. For its comedic element, the film was considered somewhat controversial in Palestine, with people feeling it almost 'sacrilegious' to use Palestine as a 'pulling tool'.

'The Sister and her Brother' - O. Hamouri & M. Krotkiewski

'The Sister and her Brother' - which I am sure used the beautiful song Sukkar Ya Banat (literally - the caramel used for waxing) on its soundtrack, from the film 'Caramel' - poignantly pieced together with warmth and humour 'home movie' style footage of a girl and her brother talking about love and relationships, throwing light on the double standards in the expectations of girls and boys having relationships in Palestine. The whole family gets embroiled in the debate, and film culminates in a confession made by the sister to her brother.

'Girls and the Sea' and 'If U Say Yes or if U Say No' both dealt with the theme of female defiance, whether the forces of prevention came in the guise of an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint or an angry father. This defiance is tenacious and humorous in both cases, reflecting the defiant nature of Palestinians as a people.

'Kamkamah' - Areej Abu Eid & Eslam Alayan

'Just Forbidden' was a coming-of-age tale about a girl's first period and the social, mental and physical changes which accompany it, whilst 'Kamkamah' (the veiling) was a thoughtful portrayal of war-torn Gaza, suffering from political, economic and humanitarian cruelty, filmed by two girls living in Rafeh on the border, where the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza lie.

For more information on the 2012 London Palestine Film Festival or any of the films featured, visit the Palestine Film Foundation website.

Leila

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Weekend breakfast: Izha and Za'atar

Ever since I was a little girl, lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings have always included a morning spread of Izha and Za'atar with pitta bread.

Izha is a thick black paste (it looks a bit like molten tar or oil) of nigella seeds roasted and ground with sesame seed puree, or something else which makes it more liquid. There are very few places I know of in the world where you can buy it - Palestine or Jordan. Even many locals don't know about it, and I have often had confused looks when I ask friends to bring me back a jar when they go back home to Palestine...one friend once brought me back a big bag of nigella seeds!

Izha needs to be prepared before serving, as straight from the jar it can taste very bitter. Although that doesn't stop my dad from eating a teaspoon of raw izha every day. Apparently there are many health benefits to izha, including strengthening the immune system.

The best way to prepare izha is:

• Pour a small amount into a bowl (1 - 3 tablespoons depending on the number of people). Add a small amount of boiling water to the mixture and stir in, until the izha absorbs all the water and thickens to look like grey cement. 

• Add more water little by little to the mixture, all the while stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick custard. The biggest mistake is to add too much water which makes the izha too runny to eat as a dip. If this happens, you will need to add a little more izha to the mixture to thicken it up - it's a judging game and takes practice if you don't get it right the first time.

• To sweeten, add a teaspoon or two of clear honey. This also makes the izha beautifully glossy and black. Sugar is fine as an alternative if you don't have honey to hand, but make sure this is added before the hot water, as it won't dissolve after and will make the izha grainy.

Za'atar is a blend of dried herbs (including thyme), toasted sesame seeds and salt. It can be eaten by dipping bread in olive oil and then the herb mixture, or mixed with olive oil and spread on dough for baking in the oven ( a form of mana'eesh). It can also be used to season meat, hommus or yoghurt.

Za'atar has become quite trendy recently, and is now commonly sold at places like Waitrose. I would NOT recommend buying it from supermarkets as they sell you a measly amount at a rip-off price. Go to a Middle Eastern shop like Green Valley off Edgware Road instead.

I love Izha and Za'atar. We even named my two late cats growing up after these two amazing dips!

Leila
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Maroush - King of Edgware Road

After a late evening in the office on Friday, I went to have dinner on Edgware Road. When all you are craving is really good hommus and a warm meal, you can't go wrong with Maroush. Stand on the street a little way down from the Marble Arch end of Edgware Road, and you can see Maroush Express, Ranoush Juice and Maroush Gardens on each corner - all part of the same chain!

We had Hommus Beiruty to start with (made with chickpeas, tahini, hot pepper, parsley and lemon juice), as well as cucumbers, big fresh tomatoes, peppers and olives.

For the main course, there was Bamia with rice (a vegetarian dish with okra and tomatoes) and Malfouf (cabbages stuffed with mince).

My friend Sylvia requested we feature more vegetarian recipes, so I found a delicious looking Bamia recipe here.

We washed down dinner with fruit cocktail (Maroush makes this with yummy fresh fruits) and fresh lemonade with mint and rosewater.

Marouf Abuzaki opened his first Maroush restaurant on Edgware Road in 1981. The chef, and his wife Houda came to England during the civil war in Lebanon. They now have an impressive portfolio of restaurants, delis and cafes across London - on Vere Street and Edgware Road not only can you get a good meal inside you, but often they have live music and belly dancing too!

Leila
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Gazan Prawns with Oven-Baked Kale

Yesterday evening I went to my friends Heather and Ahmed's place for dinner in north London. They had prepared a traditional, slightly spicy dish from Gaza, with prawns and sesame seeds. This was served with rice and oven-baked kale, drizzled in Fairtrade, Palestinian organic extra-virgin olive oil from the highly-recommended company Zaytoun.

Zaytoun are a community interest company (founded by my friend Heather and her partners Cathi, Atif and Saleh), who bring artisan Palestinian produce to the UK market. Their products, which include olive oil, medjoul dates and olive soap, can be found at stores such as Wholefoods, Planet Organic and from many online retailers.

I look forward to working more in the future with this fantastic company, and using their ethically sourced products at upcoming Cafe Palestine events.

Leila
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Daoud Basha

Today my lovely friends from Syria cooked a Damascan dish - Daoud Basha - for me. Named after the Ottoman 'David Pasha', the dish involves minced meat (beef or lamb), tomatoes, cinnamon, onion, garlic...think meatballs with a Middle Eastern twist.

I found a few recipes on the internet for this, but this one from Ya Salam cooking looks pretty good.

Let me know what you think, or if you have any better versions of this recipe to share!

Leila
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