Friends of The Jenin Freedom Theatre

Click the picture to view a 13 minute video about the Jenin Freedom Theatre

We would like to introduce ourselves. We are the Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theater, a group of individuals in the United States who have come together to support the excellent work of the Freedom Theater. Our members come from many walks of life and many religions; we are Christians, Muslims, and Jews, united in our efforts to do what we can to spread awareness about the Jenin Refugee Camp and act as a means for individuals and institutions in the United States to help rebuild and maintain the Freedom Theater.

Our involvement with the Freedom Theater began in 2006, when we had a chance to meet Juliano Mer Khamis and hear him discuss his film “Arna’s Children.” We had all seen the film previously and had been deeply affected by it. All of us are veteran human rights activists and long-time supporters of the Palestinian people, but rarely have we been so moved. After meeting Juliano and hearing more about the efforts to rebuild the Theater, we decided to do our small part for this essential project. Each of us has been supporting the Palestinian people for years or even decades, but in all those years we had seldom been given the chance for involvement in such a wonderful endeavor.

These past seven years have seen a growing outrage among supporters of Palestine in the United States and around the world, accompanied by an even greater amazement at the strength and courage of the Palestinian people. Such outrage and amazement has engendered a growing determination to do more in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance to the Occupation and their insistence on leading normal lives under brutal conditions.

As Juliano told us when we met him, the Freedom Theater is part of that resistance and determination. We therefore have been working to build a small but effective organization here to carry on various activities in support of your and Juliano’s work, including fundraising and awareness-building.

We see our organization as more than a project, however–we see it as a relationship with the people of Jenin. Several of us have already visited the Jenin Refugee Camp; many of you have met them. Others will follow. As we continue with our work, we look forward to seeing this relationship grow and develop. We have each seen something special in the Freedom Theater and in the people of the Jenin Refugee camp, and we intend to maintain our relationship with you for many years to come.

In solidarity,

The Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theater

Currently renting start-up space in the Jenin Refugee Camp, the Freedom Theatre has set up a stage and purchased sound and lighting systems for the artists to perform in a professional environment. The present facilities still require upgrading; in the longer term, the Freedom Theatre plans to build a new theatre in the camp that is specifically tailored to the needs of children. Work on the new theatre will begin as soon as sufficient funding has been secured.

The Freedom Theatre is developing the only professional venue for theatre and the performing arts in all of northern Palestine. It is thus a unique stage for performers and artists from Palestine and from around the world. The Freedom Theatre seeks to create a broad selection of quality performances that bring new, entertaining, and thought-provoking experiences to the residents of Jenin.

Workshops in acting, psychodrama and creative drama are the core of the Freedom Theatre ,s activity, providing a hub of related cultural activity that includes music, dance, the visual arts, and multi media. With the help of friends, supporters, and international organizations, the Freedom Theatre can sustain and continue to develop a diverse platform on which children are able to explore their talents, express themselves, work as a collective, and develop the confidence to put themselves at center-stage. The recently opened Ahmad El-Khatib Computer Centre puts state-of-the-art facilities at the children ,s disposal, thus forming an important tool in their struggle to overcome the cultural isolation of their immediate surroundings. Once sufficient funds are available, an art and media library will be added.

The Jenin Freedom Theatre, established in 2006, recreated a children’s theatre (Arna,s House) that was destroyed during the Israeli invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in 2002. As a result of continuing daily incursions by the Israeli army, the children of Jenin are subjected to the violence and aggression of occupation. They grow up in almost total physical and cultural isolation. At the Freedom Theatre, inspired by the legacy of Arna Mer Khamis and her Care and Learning project, the children have the opportunity to create a different kind of environment. Here they are encouraged to find creative outlets for their emotions and to find their own forms of resistance through art. To make this possible, the theater provides training and facilities across a broad range of arts and multimedia.

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