|
Ibdaa means "to create something out of nothing," which is exactly the response necessary to 38 years of occupation. In 1948, when the camp was created, thousands of indigenous Palestinians fled to the Dheisheh from 45 villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron. Living in tents, while enduring the aftermath of Al-Nakba (The Catastrophe), the camp built from the ground up persevering through displacement and strife.
The children of the camp continue to move forward in a chaotic and tumultuous environment. One of the organizers of the troupe proclaimed on stage, “I learned how to throw rocks, before I could read or write.” Yet these 20 children are throwing rocks today in America, refusing to be held down by the pressures of occupation, while making a positive difference for themselves and their community, as well as debunking the negative perceptions surrounding Palestinian people.
At the reception after the show, the Ibdaa dancers mingled with their new American fans. These twenty children were comfortable and at home. One wouldn’t believe they were brought up in a refugee camp—more likely a suburban town in Western Massachusetts such as Amherst. Giving a human perspective to a dehumanized conflict is crucial in changing the common misconceptions in the US.
The Ibdaa dance troop will be touring the US, in 20 cities, over the next month with all proceeds going to the Dheisheh refugee camp. Support Palestine and support these children, come out in your community and be apart of this experience.
For a tour list visit the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) http://www.mecaforpeace.org/IbdaaNational.html and for more about Ibdaa and the Dheisheh camp visit www.dheisheh-ibdaa.net/home.htm
November 2005
remi@poeticinjustice.net
Donate to the Middle East Children's Alliance.
The troupe will be touring the country, and MECA is an active group, which continuously provides humanitarian aid to children in Occupied Palestine.
CLick here for the MECA donation page.
MECA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Donations for this event are tax-deductible.
For Dheisheh-Ibdaa
Dheisheh, West Bank, a sea/al-bahr
of flat rooftops
with water tanks
never reach
rims, but reflect
eyes like
Gazelles that leap
for fruit calyces
of pomegranate tree. Seeds of
grace wade
on ponds, emerge
with
Life is dance
Debkeh/raqs taqliidi
under
sun. Feet-on-fire move
to desert-step-rhythms
on terra-cotta earth. Petals of
white anemones
in dry/jaaf breezes
flow into
Visions
of the homeland ablaze
in footwork that counts
drops
of lemon/liimuun trees. Stories speak
Al-Nakba, catastrophe
Tents flap
dwell in sounds
of frigid winds…
hold onto spring…
Ibdaa
is heart of Palestine. Fields of
purslane, yellow flowers
on lips
hum
honey melodies. In
pockets, keys
to desires people the land
of time. Their fingers
comb wool
homespun
hands caress the lamb
that bleats
in
God’s aba.
by Sonia Nettnin
From their site: Ibdaa Cultural Center and the Ibdaa Dance Troupe
Ibdaa, which means “to create something out of nothing,” is a grassroots organization that provides educational, and cultural programs for the children, youth and women of Dheisheh refugee camp. The children in this overcrowded and impoverished community have very few outlets for constructive expression of their fears, tension, and frustrations. Ibdaa helps children and teenagers to share their experiences and dreams for the future with each other and with people around the world through art, dance, music, and sports. Ibdaa serves over 1,500 children, youth and women each year and is one of the most successful community organizations in the Palestinian territories.
The Ibdaa Dance Troupe consists of 20 boys and girls. The first generation of youth dancers came together in 1994 as part of a cultural exchange project with Discovery, a French organization. For the past ten years the Ibdaa Dance Troupe has been touring extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East. They have become Palestine’s youth ambassadors, participating in international conferences in Sweden, in youth summer camps in Greece and Hungary, and performing for world leaders such as the Pope and members of the U.N. General Assembly. Ibdaa dancers have been featured in dozens of award-winning documentary films -- including Academy Award nominee Promises (Goldberg and Shapiro, 2001), Frontiers of Fears and Dreams (Masri, 2001), The Children of Ibdaa (Patrick, 2000), Palestine, Palestine (Dubosc, 2002), A Stone’s Throw Away (Halvorsen, 2003) and Reports from Palestine (Hunt, 2003) – as well as several news reports on CNN, ABC, CBS, BBC, and other media outlets.
|
