Balata Refugee Camp Installation March 12, 2004 Update
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 02:47:11 -0800 (PST)
Subject: new info on Balata Installation
From: kelly@riseup.netUpdated Information about the Balata Refugee Camp Installation
As many of you know, we are creating an installation composed of pictures, sounds, childrenís art, photos, film, stories and interviews from Balata Refugee Camp to take on tour in the US, UK and Sweden. We are working closely with many different people and organizations in the camp to ensure that the project is coming from the people of Balata. Below is more information on the tour, including the content, dates, logistics and aims. We hope that this information can be used by individuals or organizations who will be hosting the tour.
Dates
Dates are still flexible, particularly in the US, but as of now this is our general expectation of a timeline:
March 10-17 Britain (possibly south)
March 18-28 Sweden
March 29- April 13 Britain (Scotland and north)
April 16- 23 New York, and near areas on the East Coast
April 26 Madison, Wisconsin 12-Feb-04
April 27 - May 8 Midwest
May 9 - May 18 South
May 18 - early June: open (looking into east coast or west coast)For interest/questions about the UK portion of the tour email:
Mika: jolifanto@riseup.net
Robin: robin@ism-london.orgFor interest/questions about the US portion of the tour email:
kelly@riseup.net
kel156@yahoo.comFor interest/questions about the Sweden portion of the tour email:
palestine_media@yahoo.com
johanna_skriv_hit@hotmail.com
samantha_boyce@hotmail.comWe are interested in as many events as possible, and are looking for help organizing in different areas. We are also open to locations not listed above.
Aims
- Encouraging people to set up projects with people in Balata Camp. These would hopefully support people in their daily resistance and struggle to survive. Ideas could include: connecting prisoner activist groups, helping to rebuild demolished homes, supporting children's resistance drama and art, connecting refugee rights organizations, setting up connections to support women and their struggle for empowerment and equal rights, finding resources to set up a library, and many more possible ideas.
- Raising awareness about the daily life and struggle of the people of Balata, countering media distortions, attempting to represent the complexity and reality of life in the camp.
- Taking messages from Balata to people in the US and UK so that their voices can be heard.
- Encouraging activism about Balata and Palestine in general.Logistics for hosting an event
In each location we would like to have the installation set up for 1-2 days throughout the day. At each location we will show a longer film at one particular time, possibly evenings, which can be advertised as an event within the installation. A video will be shown and we will be present to answer questions.
Content will include (but not limited to):
- Photos
- Childrenís art (drawings, paintings, and some 3-dimensional art)
- Video (interviews with individuals, interviews with '48 surviors, footage of the camp, footage of soldiers and human rights abuses, etc)
- Sounds (music, interviews, noise from camp, noise from soldiers, children's choirs)
- Martyr posters
- Interactive displays
- Womenís embroidery and art
- Graffiti (stencils done by people in the camp)
- Stories and poetry
- Individualsí stories and background information about Balata including information from community organizationsFor the installation, we will need:
- Television or projector (we hope to have a laptop to hook up)
- Large cardboards or a wall covered in paper for graffiti
- Ideally, speakers around the room for projecting sound. If not possible, a stereo
- Seating for a film showing
- 2-3 free-standing boards or walls to display pictures and art
- At least 2 tables
For the installation we would like, but is not necessary:
- 2nd television or projector
- More free-standing boards or walls
- More tables to hold art and displaysPre-event Logistics
- Organize a venue. We are willing to set up the installation in a variety of different types of venues, e.g. community organizations, art spaces, universities, schools, churches, mosques, etc.
- Advertising and promotion need to be done ahead of time. We have photos on the web and are happy to email them to anyone to help with promotion.
- Invitations sent to individuals and community organizations that may have the resources or would be interested in setting up projects (see Aims).
- We need a place for two people to sleep - couch or floor space would be great.Why Balata?
Balata Refugee Camp is one of the most hard hit communities in the West Bank. Refugees from the 1948 expulsion, the over 30,000 residents are crammed into a single suffocating square kilometre. Unemployment is the norm, and most families rely on UNWRA handouts for survival. Daily incursion and frequent invasions by the Israeli Occupying Forces are part of everyday life for the residents of the camp. It is rare to meet somebody who hasn't tasted tear gas, every second boy seems to have been shot at some stage, and there isn't a house the soldiers haven't entered at some point. Yet, the people of Balata continue to resist and defy the occupation daily. The political and social complexities of the camp are often ignored in media; mainstream media portrays Balata has a hotspot for terrorist activity, essentially claiming that everyone from Balata is a terrorist. Further, visitors are rare and links to abroad are practically non-existent.
Additional
We prefer to show the installation as a whole, but are flexible for other presentations (e.g. a school wants to see just the children's art or a group would like a formal talk) if we can fit them in.
We will be fundraising along the way to continue the tour. Financial contributions are still needed for creating the installation (for things such as video, photo development and mailing costs).
There is still a need for more events (particularly in the U.S.). If anyone is interested or has any potential contacts, please let us know. For any questions or help, please contact:
Kelly - kelly@riseup.net
Mika - jolifanto@riseup.netIn solidarity,
Mika and Kellyto see our past writings:
www.notesfrompalestine.net
www.madison-rafah.org/correspond.html
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 07:01:15 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Help Needed With New Project - Please Circulate
From: kelly@riseup.net
To: kelly@riseup.net
Hello,As most of you know, I have been living and volunteering (with ISM and other projects) in Nablus, Occupied Palestine for about seven months. My time has been concentrated on Nablus, particularly in Balata Refugee Camp.
In addition to ISM, myself and another volunteer have been working on a new project. We are creating an installation about Balata, composed of photos, children's art, sound, pictures, film (both our film and films done by people in the camp), drama, and interviews. After we are finished collecting everything, we hope to take the installation on tour in the US, UK and Sweden. The content of the installation is determined by the people in the camp - we are working closely with many different organizations, centers, schools, political groups and individuals in Balata on this installation. The project is essentially coming from the people in the camp.
Balata Refugee Camp is one of the hardest hit communities in the West Bank. Refugees from the 1948 expulsion, the over 30,000 residents are crammed into a single suffocating square kilometre, almost all physically closed by IOF roadblocks. Unemployment is the norm, and most families rely on UNWRA handouts for survival. Daily incursions by IOF forces that park at the entrances and shoot into the camp are taken for granted. It is rare to meet somebody who hasn't tasted tear gas, every second boy seems to have been shot at some stage, and there isn't a house the soldiers haven't entered at some point. Despite being the largest refugee camp in the West Bank, Balata receives very limited outside support. Visitors are rare and links to abroad are practically non-existent.
The purposes of the project are:
-to raise awareness about the complexity and reality of the camp,We are looking for help from people in the US, UK and Sweden on this project on a number of things. Primarily, we need help organizing events and preparing to find groups and venues willing to host us. Our general timeline will put us in the UK and Sweden from March 10- April 10 and the US from April 10 - the middle of May.
-to counter distorted western views about Balata and the people within Balata camp,
-to take people's messages from Balata to people in Europe and the States,
-to encourage and provide opportunities for political activism about Palestine, and Balata specifically, and
-to make links between political and social organizations in the camp and similar organizations abroad.Second, we are in need of financial contributions. Although we don't expect the project to cost a lot, all of the money spent is from our personal funds (which are running low as we've been volunteering in Palestine for 7 months). Our costs include things such as video equipment and tapes, art materials, mailing and travel costs.
For those interested in this project, we want to set up a mailing list to keep people informed of what we are doing. Interest or questions can be sent to:
kelly@riseup.net orFor financial contributions, mail to:
jolifanto@riseup.net.
Kelly BornshlegelOr you can directly deposit them:
c/o Michelle Carter
672 Foxfield Rd
Oregon WI 53575
Bank: Natwest, 56 St Andrews Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DAFor more information on what we've been doing in our time here, see:
Account Name: M L Minio-Paluello
Sort Code: 52-10-46
Account Number: 29507359
www.madison-rafah.org/correspond.html orThank you!
www.notesfrompalestine.net.In Solidarity,
Kelly