Carried by the wind
Ramallah/Bethlehem April 2008
International and Palestinian musicians and singers
Sabreen percussion orchestra
Marching band (Ramallah)
75 children from Amari camp (Ramallah) and Aida camp (Bethlehem).
Ramallah 16 April 2008
19:15 hrs procession from Syrriet Ramallah to Manara square
20:00 hrs performance at Municipality square
Bethlehem 17 April 2008
18:00 hrs next to Rachels tomb
This project is organized as a part of the Centennial Celebration Ramallah Municipality, produced by La Vie sur Terre in collaboration with Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Sabreen for Artistic Development, Khaled Bkir centre for young leadership, and is supported by Netherlands Fund for Performing Arts.
Music crosses boundaries. On Thursday April 17 at sunset, the music event “Carried by the Wind” by composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven will not only bridge the differences between different styles and cultures, but literary traverses the walls that separate inhabitants of Bethlehem from each other.
About fifty singers, percussion and wind players of all ages are placed on rooftops near the separation wall at Rachel’s Tomb. In this way, the music reaches out over the divide and connects people that were once neighbours.
“Carried by the Wind” symbolizes the freedom of the creative mind that cannot be obstructed by a fence or wall. The involvement of children opens the perspective on the future.
In Ramallah this performance is part of the official centannial celebration of Ramallah Municipality. It takes place at 16 April, 8pm at the square behind the municipality building. The musicians surround the audience to create a 3-dimensional music experience.
This concert brings the human and optimistic face of young Palestinian artists to the surface, breaking the stereotypes image of chaos and violence that prevails in the outside world.
We want to encourage the resilience among the people, to strengthen the cultural identity of Palestine, to stimulate local talent and to celebrate ‘sumud’: the steadfastness and positive power of people who don’t give up striving for a better world.
In contexts of conflict, people concentrate mainly on those who “kill the body” but often they forget about those who “kill the soul,” i.e. the dignity, creativity and vision of a people. Without a vision, nations “cast off restrains.” Culture is the art for the soul not only to survive but to thrive. Culture is the art to refuse being just on the receiving end, to resist being perceived only as a mere victim. Culture is the art of becoming an actor rather than a spectator. It is the art of celebrating life in a context still dominated by forces of death and domination, an art of resisting creatively and non-violently.
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Betlehem