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Arts, Bethlehem, Children, Culture, Education, Ghirass Children's Cultural Centre, Hakaya Band, Leicester, Leicester Friends of Bethlehem, Music, Palestine, United Kingdom
Leicester Friends of Bethlehem coordinator, Claire Wintram writes about how people in Leicester are connected to children, teachers and volunteers at the Ghirass Children’s Cultural Centre in Bethlehem, Palestine.
Leicester Friends of Bethlehem is proud to have been associated with the Ghirass Children’s Cultural Centre, Bethlehem, Palestine, since July 2005.
The first visit to Leicester, of members of the performing group, the Hakaya Band, took place over a long weekend as part of a fortnight’s visit to London and Bath during that month, with last minute arrangements having been made.
That weekend was life-changing for some of the then host families.
17 members of the Band and four of their teachers are about to make their sixth visit to Leicester from 16th June to 1st July 2018 with a full programme of music, dance and drumming workshops in schools, sports activities arranged, meetings with local politicians, a day spent creating artwork and recording music at Soft Touch Arts.
There will be a public performance by the Band followed by discussion about life under military occupation in the theatre of St Paul’s Catholic School, Evington, on Wednesday 27th June, at 7.00pm, courtesy of the school.
The Ghirass Centre is a secular organization, attracting students and staff from all cultural and economic backgrounds in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. The founder and Director of the Centre, Ms Ibtisam Ilzhayyer, a person of great vision, who started the venture in 1994, aimed initially to rectify extreme problems affecting children’s and young people’s education impacted by the devastating, daily trauma of living under illegal, brutal Israeli military occupation.
Students in schools run by the UN or in Palestinian Authority run schools often are in classes of up to 60 so there is no chance of one-to-one tuition and young people fall behind. Added to this, schools can be commandeered as barracks and interrogation centres by the Israeli army for months at a time, so clearly learning is severely disrupted during these periods. Students and teachers and university staff are harassed at checkpoints, including girls and women being sexually harassed and intimidated by Israeli soldiers.
Over the last 24 years, the Centre has extended its provision to include: two outdoor play areas with protection from the sun; a garden for children and parents to relax in; a well-stocked library that has seen literacy rates in Arabic amongst students and parents (particularly mothers) rise dramatically; art and handicraft workshops; play equipment to promote dexterity and fine motor skills; and, extra maths tuition for those who need it.
Two social workers are employed by the Centre who carry out extensive psycho-social assessment and offer tailor made support to children and their families struggling with the traumas of everyday life. Home assessments are also carried out where travel is possible.
Travel outside Bethlehem and sometimes within it is severely restricted by the apartheid wall built by the Israelis and by the increasing number of military checkpoints round the town. When possible, Ms Ilzhayyer and colleagues travel to outlying villages to engage schools and day nurseries in play-centred learning and in encouraging literacy in the areas. She offers training and access to a book and toy library.
Ms Ilzhayyer has also been very influential in encouraging the Teacher Training Department of Bethlehem University to use her child-based approach to teaching reading. This programme has been very successful and is employed by many schools.
Over the last four years, more work has been begun with supporting children and their parents to enable them to survive daily trauma by using dance, drama, poetry, singing, football, and chess. Boys and girls engage in all these activities together.
The performing aspect of the Centre, which is where Leicester Friends of Bethlehem come in, was initiated because young people have no time in their mainstream curriculum to learn about their own culture. The Hakaya Band remedies this, having created three different age-groups of performers with their own contemporary take on traditional folk dancing and singing and more recently, drumming.
The group has an outstanding musician and a succession of excellent choreographers. We fundraise to bring a group over to the UK every three years. We don’t fundraise for the Centre itself as the current costs of a visit are approximately £28,000 and we have just about reached that target this year.
We work with schools, a network of host families and arts organizations locally to ensure a successful visit.
The public performance is always met with warm enthusiasm.
Many life-long friendships have been formed between Leicester and Palestinian families. Several Friends of Bethlehem members have visited the occupied territories (at their own cost).
The dancers have also performed in France, Belgium and Jordan
The Centre will not take money from any religious or political organization. In the past, a German NGO has provided considerable funds and covered infrastructure costs. Currently, Norwegian and Swiss organizations are providing funding, but it is always short-term.