Cultural Tourism

Welcome to the Spirit of Sumud Program

Spirit of Sumud is a new cultural tourism program in the Bethlehem area. Sumud, Arabic for steadfastness or resilience, shows the deep connection Palestinians have with their land and homes despite the difficult political situation.

The program invites a different way of sightseeing. As you tour around the Bethlehem area, you will meet various cultural performances by Palestinian youth and women: traditional dancing, drama performances, storytelling, songs, trills and the making of embroidery. The cultural performances will give a different taste to the historical places you are going to visit. You feel that the places become alive and that you are taken back in time.

The program is the first of its kind in Bethlehem. It will offer you a unique perspective on the Holy Land.

The program can be modified to gear to your needs. We offer an eight day program, as detailed under the itinerary section. However, if you would like to join us with a group of ten or more, a program focusing on one or more days can be arranged, in line with your preferences.

We also offer a stay with Palestinian families in Bethlehem area (hotel is also possible, of course). This will enrich your experience and allows you to see first-hand how Palestinians live. It would be your own personal cultural exchange.

The idea for this initiative of the Arab Educational Institute (AEI-Open Windows, www.aeicenter.org) came up after noticing a decreasing interest in heritage among Palestinians. Many of the younger generation tends to be interested in modern lifestyle only, while the older generation slip into a world of forgetfulness. Meanwhile, Israel’s colonization of Palestine implies a continuing robbery of culture as well.

For more information about the program, see Raneen Al-Arja’s article in the February 2009 issue of This Week in Palestine: http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2693&ed=166&edid=166

About the concept of sumud: see the article by AEI’s Toine van Teeffelen in This Week in Palestine:

http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2686&ed=166&edid=166