On Friday May 1st, the Arab Educational Institute
held a first public performance of its Cultural Tourism Program
Spirit of Sumud as part of the Sumud Festival organized near
the Wall around Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem.
The
Spirit of Sumud celebration presented traditional songs,
trills, dancing, wedding scenes and storytelling – the
result of a five-month training given to AEI women and youth
groups.
The
celebration at the Palestinian Heritage Center (Maha Saca)
hosted a group of tourists, staff and board members of Sabeel,
the ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem, as well
as travel agents. The activity showed the achievements over the
past six months as made possible by drama trainer Riham Isaac
and a range of lecturers guiding the women and youth into
various aspects of Palestinian culture.
Spirit of Sumud is designed to show the Palestinian heritage
in a vivid and accessible way. Tours around the Bethlehem area
will involve women and youth in showing Palestinian culture to
local school students and international visitors.
Parts
of the performance cen be watched in the gallery section
For the
Sumud Festival as a whole, see:
http://www.aeicenter.org/aei/archives/SumudFestival2009/index.htm.
