Palestinian Teenagers Return To Balata

national | arts and media | news report Thursday September 07, 2006 23:18 by K.J.

Summary of A'edoon's summer tour of Ireland

The ‘Aedoon’ theatre troupe has just returned home to Palestine after a three week tour of Ireland, Wales and England. Teenagers from Balata refugee camp in the West Bank performed traditional dance and drama to tell firsthand their story of life under Israeli rule. Palestinians are often demonised in the media. This, their second visit, provided an opportunity for them to display some of their abundantly rich culture.

Anyone who saw the show will have seen that the kids are in their element while performing and take great pride in their identity. What audiences may not know is the number of obstacles they have had to overcome. From Palestine, it took four long days of travel for the group to reach Ireland with lengthy delays at checkpoints. They have had to overcome adversity at home too. At some stage, all of the boys in the group have been arrested by the soldiers and three of the performers have been shot. Mohammed Sameh, a fifteen year old dancer, was sentenced to over seven years in prison on spurious charges after he was arrested on his way to Ireland last year. The only place they have to practice has also been occupied and ransacked by the military in recent times. Part of their determination to continue with the project stems from a belief that art, like education, is a form of struggle. They will not allow Israeli oppression to make them grow up an ignorant and silent generation.

As well as the shows, their visit contained many other positives. In Palestine children are highly politicised. Harsh conditions and the deliberate targeting of minors have necessitated a tough determination in young people. In Ireland, they had a chance to let their guard down. It was refreshing to see them just relax and enjoy themselves as children. Some of the highlights for the Palestinians involved things that we often take for granted. Open spaces to freely run around and the abundance of food in supermarkets were both novelties.

A trip to the Antrim coast was a massive event for them. Before the Israelis forced them out to live as refugees, the residents of Balata came from picturesque towns and villages on the Mediterranean coast. The young people in the camp all know where their roots lie, but military restrictions make it impossible for them to go there and visit their family homes. Their sentimental attachment to the sea means any visit to a beach provokes great excitement and emotion in them.

The plight of Palestinians and Israel’s abuse of power are issues often misrepresented or ignored by the international media. Palestinians generally feel isolated and neglected by everyone in the outside world. The people the group encountered on their visits to Belfast, Derry and South Armagh have challenged this perception. Palestine flags, gifts and warm welcomes abounded as the group met with enduring solidarity, much cherished on their return home.

Throughout their stay, they were enthusiastic to learn about the clear parallels that exist between their own experiences and those of people in Ireland. Political assassination, State terrorism, internment, curfew and military subjugation were all discussed with great interest. Solidarity in general is a big issue for the self esteem of the teenagers but support from people who understand some of the trauma they go through is absolutely huge for them.

The group cited the hunger strike commemoration in Belfast as the tour’s most powerful event. All of them have experienced friends or relatives being imprisoned so they were fascinated to learn more about the progress of prison struggle in Ireland and were proud to show their support for the memory of those who died. Knowledge of the achievements of the Irish prisoners’ along with the removal of certain British military installations may have planted some rare feelings of hope about their own future.

As one of the heartlands of resistance in the West Bank, the camp inspires other areas to rise up and defy the occupation. This makes it the focus of continuous intense repression. Travelling to Ireland gave the young people some welcome respite from their daily experience of harassment, invasion and the constant threat of harm. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, while the world’s attention was turning towards Lebanon, the Israeli military killed 224 Palestinians (including 62 children). The two months since Israel began its most recent military offensive in late June also saw 576 adults and 312 Palestinian children injured. 77 of the casualties needed parts of their bodies amputated.

The tour organisers had hoped that the group would be able to get through the duration of their three week stay without anyone close to them being killed at home. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The occupation sent a tragic reminder of the environment they had sought to temporarily escape. The day before they left London they had to be informed that, Hani Hashash, along with Ibrahim Neba, had been shot dead. An Apache helicopter had fired several missiles before soldiers threw tear gas and shot into what was left of a house containing the two ‘wanted’ men. Ibrahim’s father also said that Israeli army dogs were sent in and tore large parts of flesh from his son’s body. One of the older group members said that Hani was a close friend and well known for his work with female ex-prisoners. “He wanted to make sure they weren't forgotten and were able to tell their stories of struggle and repression.” Sixteen year old Madlen added: “Hani only got married last year. He was always smiling and loved life. But he also loved Balata Camp and his people, and couldn't stand to see oppression. That's why he chose to fight."

Sadly, this will not be the last acquaintance they will lose. The reality of life in the camp is that they and all of their friends and relatives are in danger of losing their lives at any moment. This is just an accepted fact. In Ireland, we can be proud of having helped create some hope and joy in young people for whom tragedy has become a way of life. The impact Ireland had on them is testament to the efforts of the people they encountered as well as the unifying bond of collective experience and a shared vision. This impact can be measured by the scenes at their last performance in London. After the show finished the group stayed on stage waving tricolours and chanting: “Free, Free Palestine….Free, Free Ireland!”

Nour Hafnawi (16) spoke for the group when he said: “When the occupation causes us pain, it gives us strength to know that people in Ireland are with us and we are not alone. They are with us because they know what pain is and what an occupation means to your life. How it suffocates you.

In our hearts, part of us is Irish. We are family… like brothers!”