Our memories have vanished: Said al-Mishal Cultural Center Gaza oblitorated in a bomb strike by Israel on August 9, 2018
distant suffering XVII | i.d. of a shared kite
design for the kite project of ruimteCAESUUR | october 2018 www.hansovervliet.com
INSPIRATION
Photo 2018 | Mohammed Shurrab
On the 29 of July 2010, the UNRWA announced breaking the former record of flying kites on the coast of Gaza Strip, this time they flew 7202 Kites. It broke the Guinness World Records with Most Kites Flown At The Same Time. Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA
Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA
https://youtu.be/vutHocL1ZYo
‘It is a war against every part of Palestinian identity’ 'Art is a form of resistance' Israel destroys popular Gaza cultural center
https://youtu.be/QVOnuK85MYA
'Our memories have vanished': the Palestinian theatre destroyed in a bomb strike The Guardian | August 22, 2018 The Said al-Mishal Centre brought theatre, dance and music to the beleaguered residents of Gaza City. Its destruction in an Israeli air strike has sparked outrage – and dealt a heavy blow to Palestinian culture. The razing of the cultural landmark, which held a library and offices for artistic associations including dance troupes and musicians, has shaken the strip’s creative community and rippled out to their supporters worldwide. Founded in 2004 and named after Said Al-Mishal, a Palestinian businessman, politician and contemporary of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, the building housed a recreation centre for children affected by the three wars waged between Israel and Hamas during the last decade. Its cafe had buzzed with dancers, actors and artists. “Al-Mishal wasn’t just an office for us; it was a story of love and inspiration. All of our work was there; we lived there; our memories were there,” says Taleb. “I gave my colleagues some hope that a change would happen, but I don’t know what I can say to them after the destruction of our place.” Last week, some of Britain’s leading dramatists and directors lambasted the bombing, calling it “a devastating loss for the already isolated community” and the flattening of “one of the few large venues for theatre and music performances in besieged Gaza”. For Mohammad Obaid, Al-Mishal was a second home. The 28-year-old helped run Al-Anqa’a (the Phoenix), a troupe that taught traditional Arab Dabke dancing. “We wanted to sustain Palestinian folklore,” he says. The group lost all their equipment, costumes and a place to train around 250 children who attend programmes during the summer holiday period. A day after the bombing, the group joined hundreds of others to perform in the rubble of the building as a show of strength and solidarity. But even that is fading. “Our memories have vanished now. I don’t know if we can create new ones,” says Obaid. “We will try again, but I am not sure if I can convince my colleagues to continue.”
We condemn the destruction of Gaza cultural centre in Israeli airstrike The Guardian | August 16, 2018 As theatre practitioners who have worked closely with Palestinian artists, we write to condemn the bombing and total destruction of the Said Al-Mishal Cultural Centre in Gaza on 9 August by an Israeli airstrike. We support our dear friends and colleagues who describe their great rage and deep pain at the obliteration of this symbol of Palestinian culture and identity as they mourn the destruction of one of the few large venues for theatre and music performances in besieged Gaza. Since its establishment in 2004, Al-Mishal served as a home for hundreds of plays, ceremonies, exhibits, musical performances and national ceremonies. It was the venue of choice for theatre companies in Gaza and a space for Gaza’s top musical acts. The centre also included recreational activities for children who were affected by three successive wars in Gaza, including the first dabkeh school for 250 children. It is a devastating loss for the already isolated community. We are deeply shocked that this act of destruction has not been widely reported in the British press. We support all efforts to continue Al-Mishal’s mission and the campaign for the centre’s reconstruction. We urge the UK government and the international community to take prompt and effective steps to seek a de-escalation of the situation in Gaza, to insist on the effective protection of civilians as a prime legal obligation and to take firm action to ensure that violations of international law are not tolerated. Mike Bartlett Playwright, Jonathan Chadwick Director and playwright, Caryl Churchill Playwright, EV Crowe Playwright, April De Angelis Playwright, Elyse Dodgson International director, Royal Court Theatre, Vicky Featherstone Artistic director, Royal Court Theatre, David Greig Playwright, artistic director, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Stephen Jeffreys Playwright, Phyllida Lloyd Director, Rufus Norris Director, National Theatre, Penelope Skinner Playwright, Richard Twyman, Artistic director, English Touring Theatre, Sacha Wares Director
Smoke rises above Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike targeted a multi-story building housing the Said al-Mishal cultural center, obliterating it, on 9 August. Mohammed Zaanoun ActiveStills
Smoke rises from an explosion after an Israeli airstrike on the Saidd al-Mis'hal cultural centre in Gaza City
Palestinians inspect the ruins of the Said al-Mishal Cultural Center building which was left completely destroyed
An aerial view of the wreckage of the Said al-Mishal Cultural Centre in the west of Gaza City after the air strike
A Palestinian band plays on the ruins of the building housing the Said al-Mishal cultural center, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike the previous day, Gaza City, 10 August. (Photo: Mohammed Zaanoun ActiveStills)
Hazam Husain performing with his band. (Photo: Mohammed Asad)
Egyptian 'Devavin' band's concert in support of Gaza at the ruins of Said al-Mishal Cultural Center, which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
justification | colophon Since December 2013 I have been working on a work in progress DISTANT SUFFERING. In this context, combined with the new direction of ruimte(space)CAESUUR, I proposed a collaborative project with a number of artists. I wanted to create an exhibition consisting of kites, made by some 20 colleague artists who have expressed a critical attitude towards social developments in the past and / or identified themselves with my work. The exhibition had two moments: the kites were air born by the artists themselves or our friends, on Saturday, October 20 at 4 o'clock at the beach in Vlissingen during a heavenly vernissage and subsequently shown in ruimteCAESUUR. Afterwards, the exhibition might find accommodation elsewhere with the help of the invited artists. See for the art works, the vernissage and the exhibition www.caesuur.nu. participans from the Netherlands: Leni van den Berge, Ko de Jonge, Dani Ploeger, leon riekwell, Loek Grootjans, Ingrid Rollema, Hans Overvliet, Stef Fridael, Robin Weijers, Harriët Rademakers, Rinus Roepman from Gaza / Palestine Mohammed alHawajri, Dina Mattar, Raed Issa from Belgium: jen gossé, Frie J. Jacobs, Jan Verhaeghen, Peter Puype from Germany / Danmark Jörn Burmester from Pakistan Mehreen Hashmi
Middelburg | October 2018 | Hans Overvliet
Our memories have vanished: Said al-Mishal Cultural Center Gaza oblitorated in a bomb strike by Israel on August 9, 2018
for the kite project of ruimteCAESUUR | october 2018 www.hansovervliet.com