Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Najdat Anzour defies all Saudi regime threats and announce that the king of the sand on his way to showrooms all over the world

March 5, 2013

نجدت أنزور يتحدى كل تهديدات النظام السعودي و يعلن أن ملك الرمال في طريقه إلى صالات العرض في كل انحاء العالم

يتحدّث المخرج السوري نجدت أنزور بنبرة يمكن وصفها بالشرسة، عن عمله السينمائي «ملك الرمال». يروي العمل سيرة آل سعود، وقد أثار جدلاً منذ الإعلان عن قرب عرضه في ربيع العام 2012، لكنّه لم يعرض حتى الآن (باستثناء عرض للصحافة في بريطانيا العام الماضي).
في حديثه مع «السفير»، يعيد أنزور تأجيج السجال حول العمل. يصف عمله بـ«الإنتاج الضخم»، ويشرح أنّه «يتناول تاريخ مؤسِّس الدولة السعودية عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن بن آل سعود، وتفاصيل الرحلة المشوّقة التي قام بها، بعد خروجه من منفاه في الكويت وغزوه للرياض، وإنهاء فترة حكم آل الرشيد هناك، وانتقاله بعدها إلى نجد وحائل والحسا في العام 1921، وقضائه على الأسرة الهاشمية هناك بالتعاون مع الإنكليز، عبر جاسوسهم الشهير جون فيلبي الملقب بعبد الله المهتدي».
تمّ تنفيذ الفيلم بتقنيات عالية، وشارك في بطولته ممثلون إيطاليون وأتراك وبريطانيون، وفي مقدمتهم الإنكليزي بيل فيلوز والإيطالي فابيو تستي. «عانى الشريط من التضييق لأنه يفضح ويعرّي المجازر الوحشية التي ارتكبها آل سعود في شبه الجزيرة العربية. لديهم حلفاء ونفوذ في كلّ العالم، ونجحوا حتى الآن في إيقاف عرض الفيلم في أكثر من مكان. لكنني أبشّرهم بأن «ملك الرمال» سيكون قريباً جداً في صالات لندن ونيويورك، وسيتمّ افتتاحه بشكل رسمي، وبحفلة تكريم ضخمة لكل من عمل وساهم في إنجاح هذا المشروع السينمائي، وسوف تنقله أهم وسائل الإعلام الدولية».
ويقول صاحب «نهاية رجل شجاع»: «لقد شدني الصعود الغريب لمؤسس الدولة السعودية، خصوصاً ممارساته ضدّ الفرق الصوفيّة التي كانت تسكن بلاد الحجاز العربية وقتذاك، والتي أبيدت عن آخرها على يد الوهابية السعودية بتهمة الكفر والتصوّف وعبادة القبور، فقتلوا وأحرقت بيوتهم، واغتُصبت نساؤهم، ويتِّم أطفالهم تحت شعار السيف والدين. مشهد يمكن اليوم رؤيته مكرَّراً في سوريا على يد عصابات الإرهاب الدموي، الممولة سعودياً لتدمير آلاف السنوات من الحضارة».
وعن أسباب إنتاجه وإخراجه لفيلم «ملك الرمال»، يقول أنزور: «بدأت حكايتي مع آل سعود منذ إخراجي لمسلسل «الحور العين» والذي عالجت فيه ما يتعرّض له المغتربون السوريون والعرب عموماً عند عملهم في السعودية، إذ يتمّ استغلال معظمهم من قبل مافيات التكفير لتجنيدهم في عمليات إرهابية في دولهم»، بحسب تعبيره. يضيف: «كان مسلسل «الحور العين» من إنتاج شبكة mbc، وبموافقة مديرها الشيخ وليد الابراهيم الذي أرسل شخصاً من طرفه للإشراف المباشر على كتابة الخط الديني للعمل، إلا أن إدارة mbc احتجت وقتذاك على العمل وأوقفت عرضه». تجربة لم يشأ صاحب «المارقون» أن يكرِّرها في فيلمه «ملك الرمال». «لقد أنتجت العمل بمالي الخاص، لأنّي عانيت صعوبات التمويل سابقاً في فيلم «سنوات العذاب» الذي تناولت فيه الاستعمار الإيطالي لليبيا. لكنَّ الرئيس الراحل معمر القذافي حين تصالح مع الطليان، تراجع عن إتمام تمويل الفيلم فتوقف المشروع بالكامل. ولذلك أحببت أن يكون «ملك الرمال» بعيداً عن أي تمويل أو بروباغاندا سياسية مضادة، وباللغة الإنكليزيّة، لإطلاع الغرب والعالم على حقيقة النظام السعودي الذي يريد أن يعلمنا الديموقراطية، وهو يفتقد أدنى حد من أشكال حريات وحقوق الإنسان».
وعن التهديدات بالقتل التي تعرض لها صاحب «أخوة التراب» يقول: «تطاردني التهديدات دوماً، لكنّها اليوم أصبحت أمراً واقعاً. الحذر مطلوب لكنني لا أشعر بالخوف، فالخوف يشل التفكير ويمنعك من متابعة عملك، وهذا ما لن أسمح لهم بتحقيقه». ويضيف: «حاولوا قبل أشهر إيصال رسائل حازمة عبر شركة محاماة بريطانية ممثلة للعائلة السعودية الحاكمة، وقاموا بإجراء مفاوضات لشراء حقوق الفيلم، وهددوا بطل الفيلم النجم الإيطالي فابيو تيستي الذي قام بأداء دور الملك عبد العزيز في كهولته، وطلبوا منه إطلاعهم على مصادر تمويل الفيلم، وأماكن تصويره وأسماء الفنيين والفنانين الذين عملوا فيه حتى يمنعوا عرضه، لكنني نجحت مع الشركة المختصة بتسويق الفيلم، وتوزيعه في كل أنحاء العالم».

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
 The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Songs Of The Metropolis (a doc film)

January 12, 2013

The music, the ideas, the politics and the images…

“Rather than delaying an obvious multicultural attempt to flatten everything and to present an image of manifold or most duplicity, the beauty of it comes out when the African flute really doesn’t agree with the hip-hop drums, and this is the instant when my understanding of beauty comes into play. This is where I want to start, to start merging those things that don’t agree with each other, to let them not agree”

http://www.youtube.com/

Songs Of The Metropolis

–


Is now available on

Amazon.co.uk

Gilad’s music facebook page

Album Launch Tour


January

12 Plough Arts, Great Torrington, Devon / www.theploughartscentre.org.uk / 01805 624624

16 Grimsby Jazz, Grimsby / www.grimsbyjazz.com / 01472 873730

17 Seven Arts, Leeds / www.sevenleeds.co.uk / 0113 26 26 777

18 Sheffield Jazz, Sheffield / www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk / 01142496000

19 Hideaway, London / www.hideawaylive.co.uk / 020 8835 7070

20 With Roger Odell @ The Cherry Tree, Knowl Green, Belchamp St Paul, Suffolk / www.jazz-nights.com *

24 With Pete Oxley’s 4tet @ The Spin Oxford / www.spinjazz.com *

25 The Victory Club, Cheltenham / www.cheltenhamjazz.co.uk / 01242 234488

27 Hen and Chicken, Bristol / http://jazzata.com/Venues.html / 07766 741 417

31 with Graham York’s trio @ The Blue Vanguard, Exeter *

February

1 Fleece Jazz, Suffolk / www.dovbear.co.uk/fleece / 01787 211865

2 The 606 Club, London / www.606club.co.uk / 020 7352 5953

5 Brook Theatre, Chatham / http://tickets.medway.gov.uk/ 01634 338338

8 St Mary’s Church, Wivenhoe / www.wivenhoeevents.blogspot.co.uk / 07957 958724

9 Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth / www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk / 01970 623232

10 The Swan Hotel, Abergavenny (lunch time) / http://bmjazz.tumblr.com/

10 Chapel Arts, Bath (evening) / www.chapelarts.org / 01225 461700

14 The Boat House, Broxbourne / www.broxbournerowingclub.org/jazz / 01992 442263

15 The Verdict, Brighton / www.verdictjazz.co.uk / 01273 674847

20 Old Brown Jug, Newcastle Under Lyme / www.oldbrownjug.com / 01782 711393

21–23 Album Launch Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London /

www.pizzaexpresslive.com / 020 7437 9595


24 Jagz, Ascot / www.jagz.co.uk / 01344 878100

26 With Terry Collie’s trio Retro Bistrot Restaurant. Teddington, London, TW11

27 Y Theatre, Leicester / www.leicesterjazzhouse.co.uk / 0116 255 7066

28 With The Power Cats South Holland Arts Centre, Spalding / www.southhollandcentre.co.uk *

March


1. With Jon Thorne’s Trio, Isle of White / www.jonthorne.co.uk *

2 Posk Jazz Cafe, London / www.jazzcafeposk.co.uk / 0208 7411940

5 The Stables, Milton Keynes / www.stables.org / 01908 280800

7 Bonington Theatre, Arnold, Nottingham / www.jazzsteps.co.uk / 0115 8770284

8 Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle on Tyne www.starandshadow.org.uk

10–12 Town Hall, Shetland Island (+master classes)

13 Jazz Bar, Edinburgh / www.thejazzbar.co.uk / 0131 220 4298

14 Art Club, Glasgow / www.glasgowartclub.co.uk /

15 The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria / www.breweryarts.co.uk / 01539 725 133

16 Band on the Wall, Manchester / www.bandonthewall.org / 0161 830 3884

17 Herts Jazz, Welwyn Garden City / www.hertsjazz.co.uk / 01707 357117

29 Comodo Jazz Bar, Osaka, Japan*

30 The 606 Club, London / www.606club.co.uk / 020 7352 5953

April

1-14 – Argentina and south America music and literature tour, details to follow

16-29 European Album Launch tour Germany, Austria, France, Luxemburg, Switzerland, details to be followed

May

1-12 Italy, details to be followed
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

THE ART OF RESISTANCE

January 11, 2013
By Daniel Mabsout,


Rarely do we see on stage something touching and genuine and self contained and honest to the point that we felt really privileged and lucky in a way to attend the talk of Gilad Atzmon and his performance-as well- in the Dawwar al Shams theatre , Beirut . Certainly we were lucky to be there and we wished that much more people attended so that they get an idea of what a good talk is and to know that something like a good talk and a good speech existed on stage despite all the non sense and irrelevant speech that is being heard and attended here and there. Something beside pure entertainment or pompous ideological discourse or academic dull lecture , something that is beyond what one expects . Certainly his is a rich experience that consists in achieving so much in one single life; to start from an Israeli soldier -son of Jewish settlers- and end up as an artist / activist embracing the Palestinian cause and exposing the falsity of the Israeli state and then to try to discover the Jewish political identity that shapes the personality of most Jews. Gilad Atzmon was simply captivating , not giving us his final say but rather taking us on his mental, emotional, existential journey that made him think the way he thinks and act the way he acts and become what he is . This is how we were admitted to the author’s intimate world sharing his best thoughts and his best music that was not just entertaining but was intrinsic of his growth and his experience and his awakening to his condition. We certainly were treated like guests of honor and even those who disagreed with Gilad Atzmon felt at home . We thank Gilad Atzmon for this warm, interesting, rich evening that we spent in his company.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Like Aita al-Shaab Stood Lebanon: A Steadfast Fortress 33 Days

April 20, 2012

Nour Rida

Tears rolled down the cheeks on Wednesday April 19, in the premiere of “33 Days” film, which depicted the story the Southern Village of Aita al-Shaab resisting the “Israeli” aggression on July 2006.

The film, directed by Jamal Shurjeh is an Iranian-Lebanese co-production.

Kinda Alloush from Syria; Bassem Moghnieh, Carmen Lebbos, Darin Hamzah, Pierre Dagher and Youssef El Khal from Lebanon are among the cast of the movie that was fully filmed in South Lebanon.

Mr. Ali Abou Zeid of the Rayhana production group behind this great cinematic work, before the screening of the film said that the cinematography was very challenging. The film, narrating in its first scene how “Israel” turned a day of joy into a massacre, as it bombarded a wedding which was to bring two young lovers to marriage, resembles only one story of the hundreds of stories the Lebanese people experienced during the brutal aggression of “Israel” which proved failing at the end.

This film is an embodiment of how the resistance is not exclusively for a certain sect or party in Lebanon; rather it is a resistance for defending all of Lebanon, of how it fights injustice, he stressed.

Bassem Moghnieh, a prominent Lebanese actor for his part said that he was very proud to take part in this film which resembles the bravery and sacrifices of the resistance fighters in defending the land and the people.
As for actress Darine Hamzeh, she noted that the film resembles an important cause, that of humanity and dignity and should be an important matter to all people. She also praised the film production, as it was very decent and still carried intense and deep emotions that allow the viewer to enjoy the scene and “live it”.

Also, actress Nisreen Tafesh who was among the attendees recalled how exhausting the filmmaking process was, “we hope that this movie- which carries a noble cause- would reap the fruits of the perseverance and effort we drew up for this production.”

Layla Abed, of Iranian nationality said after watching the film said it is very touching and narrates the story of people’s suffering in their own land, also reminding her of Saddam Hussein’s assault on Iran in the 1980’s.

Sarkis, another viewer present at the premiere said “It is the first time Lebanon witnesses such huge production of a film that resembles the pain of each and every Lebanese who tasted the bitterness of “Israeli” occupation, either seeing their land usurped or loved ones slaughtered.”

Resistance is the only means to defend land, people, and sanctities… In a brief interview earlier, producer Jamal Shurjeh told moqawama.org “Although the film was planned before the start of the Islamic Awakening, but our target audience was the Muslim World so we used Arab actors and apart from ten minutes in Hebrew, the film is in Arabic. We wanted to show them that through resistance, they can acquire their rights.”

Source: moqawama.org

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Like Aita al-Shaab Stood Lebanon: A Steadfast Fortress 33 Days

April 20, 2012

Nour Rida

Tears rolled down the cheeks on Wednesday April 19, in the premiere of “33 Days” film, which depicted the story the Southern Village of Aita al-Shaab resisting the “Israeli” aggression on July 2006.

The film, directed by Jamal Shurjeh is an Iranian-Lebanese co-production.

Kinda Alloush from Syria; Bassem Moghnieh, Carmen Lebbos, Darin Hamzah, Pierre Dagher and Youssef El Khal from Lebanon are among the cast of the movie that was fully filmed in South Lebanon.

Mr. Ali Abou Zeid of the Rayhana production group behind this great cinematic work, before the screening of the film said that the cinematography was very challenging. The film, narrating in its first scene how “Israel” turned a day of joy into a massacre, as it bombarded a wedding which was to bring two young lovers to marriage, resembles only one story of the hundreds of stories the Lebanese people experienced during the brutal aggression of “Israel” which proved failing at the end.

This film is an embodiment of how the resistance is not exclusively for a certain sect or party in Lebanon; rather it is a resistance for defending all of Lebanon, of how it fights injustice, he stressed.

Bassem Moghnieh, a prominent Lebanese actor for his part said that he was very proud to take part in this film which resembles the bravery and sacrifices of the resistance fighters in defending the land and the people.
As for actress Darine Hamzeh, she noted that the film resembles an important cause, that of humanity and dignity and should be an important matter to all people. She also praised the film production, as it was very decent and still carried intense and deep emotions that allow the viewer to enjoy the scene and “live it”.

Also, actress Nisreen Tafesh who was among the attendees recalled how exhausting the filmmaking process was, “we hope that this movie- which carries a noble cause- would reap the fruits of the perseverance and effort we drew up for this production.”

Layla Abed, of Iranian nationality said after watching the film said it is very touching and narrates the story of people’s suffering in their own land, also reminding her of Saddam Hussein’s assault on Iran in the 1980’s.

Sarkis, another viewer present at the premiere said “It is the first time Lebanon witnesses such huge production of a film that resembles the pain of each and every Lebanese who tasted the bitterness of “Israeli” occupation, either seeing their land usurped or loved ones slaughtered.”

Resistance is the only means to defend land, people, and sanctities… In a brief interview earlier, producer Jamal Shurjeh told moqawama.org “Although the film was planned before the start of the Islamic Awakening, but our target audience was the Muslim World so we used Arab actors and apart from ten minutes in Hebrew, the film is in Arabic. We wanted to show them that through resistance, they can acquire their rights.”

Source: moqawama.org

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Artist of the Month – Hisham Zreiq

March 30, 2012

DateThursday, March 29, 2012 at 4:01PM AuthorGilad Atzmon

http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3686&ed=205&edid=205

Hisham Zreiq (Zrake) was born in 1968 in Nazareth to a Palestinian family. After finishing school, he studied computer science, and now works as a software developer, but his heart is where his art is. In 1991, he started doing computer animation. He used those same tools when he started doing graphic art using the computer in 1994. In 1996, he started exhibiting his work in galleries and museums. In March 2001, he went to Germany, where he now lives with his wife and son and works as a software architect, artist, and filmmaker.

In 2006, he started his film career with the documentary, The sons of Eilaboun, and in 2009 he made his first short fiction film Just another day, followed by Before You is the Sea in 2011.

Zreiq’s art is his perspective on life, pains, disappointments, happiness, and his philosophical look at life. He uses extensive symbolism and metaphors in both his visual art and films. One example is the cross that symbolises punishment and sacrifice, as Jesus was punished and sacrificed his life. His art is somehow surrealist, and looks like it was extracted from a dream-like world. The intensity of emotions cannot be ignored, and captures the eyes of viewers, encouraging their minds to wander. His pieces are powered by strong composition and powerful representation of colour.

Zreiq used his art to decorate the scenes in his short film, Just Another Day, and the scenes have the same look as his art. The film, Before You is the Sea tells the story of a young Jewish woman and a young Arab man in love, but it is also an allegory for the Middle East peace process when the Camp David Summit abruptly broke off, effectively sealing the fate of the Oslo negotiations.

In both his art and films, Zreiq reflects what he sees and what he experiences in a very powerful and emotional way. One of the best examples is the documentary, The Sons of Eilaboun, about the massacre, expulsion, and return of the residents of a small Palestinian village in the Galilee. But it is a kind of a personal film as well; a film that tells a story that influenced Zreiq’s life, even though it happened twenty years before he was born. When he explained his motivations for the film, he choked and his eyes were full of tears. With a trembling voice he said, “I remember it as if it had just happened.” This is the way he ended the story, the story of a nine-year-old boy from a small village called Eilaboun (Eilabun), in Palestine in 1948. It is the story of his father when he was a refugee.

Bristol Advert
Zreiq has just finished writing a script for a new short film. He is planning to start writing his first long film, and the most important thing he is planning to do is to finish a longer version of The Sons of Eilaboun. In the coming years, he is also planning to film a fiction film that tells the story of his father during the 1948 war, a fiction version of The Sons of Eilaboun, focusing on his father’s childhood

 The wandering who- Gilad Atzmon

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Sleeping on Stones

December 16, 2011

DateTuesday, December 13, 2011 at 5:48PM AuthorGilad Atzmon

A Palestinian dramatic feature film set in Hebron.
They need your support-http://www.indiegogo.com/sleepingonstones

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Gaza’s children cope through art

January 14, 2011

Mel Frykberg, The Electronic Intifada, 12 January 2011

A Gaza child draws hope.

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – Despite the lingering trauma of living under siege, regular Israeli military attacks and the consequences of a bloody war several years ago, Gaza’s children still dream of happiness and of normal lives.

Islam Mqat, 9, from Gaza City’s al-Zarqa neighborhood, together with 150 family members, friends and neighbors, spent weeks cowering in her family’s apartment building as its was rocked and damaged by Israeli jets screaming overhead and bombing the trapped civilians below.

The Israeli military’s “Operation Cast Lead,” from December 2008 to January 2009, left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead, most of them civilian, including more than 300 children.

From her window Islam, and those trapped with her, saw people dying and wounded in the street below. Hundreds of people from al-Zarqa neighborhood died in the aerial bombardment.

Islam still experiences flashbacks. “I get very afraid when I hear the sound of jets in the sky. I’m afraid the Israelis will start bombing us and I will see dead people in the street again,” Islam told IPS.

But she, like thousands of other children in the coastal enclave is showing resilience, and daring to dream of a better future.

“I want to be a doctor so I can help people and save their lives. I dream of peace. In my imagination I see a peaceful Gaza with children playing and studying. I see a zoo and beautiful parks and cinemas,” says Islam.

Islam’s dreams have been captured in drawings she has made. A number of Gaza’s children are taking part in an art exhibition, organized by Oxfam, depicting their dream neighborhoods and describing their aspirations. Ten of the best drawings will be published in postcard form and sent to children and politicians abroad.

Islam lives in one of Gaza City’s poorest and most neglected neighborhoods, with her seven brothers and sisters, and her parents.

Al-Zarqa’s almost non-existent water and sewage infrastructure poses a constant threat to the Palestinian families living there. In an Oxfam survey of nearly 200 homes, 57 percent were found to be living below the poverty line, earning less than 1,000 shekels per month (about $300 US).

Thirty-eight percent of household heads are unemployed, 61 percent of the families have at least one child with a parasitic infection, 59 percent have skin diseases and 51 percent have suffered from diarrhea, the report said.

Despite the images of hope in Islam’s sketch, other children’s drawings reflect the post traumatic stress disorder affecting many Gazan children.

“Many of the children’s drawings have depicted corpses, soldiers, airplanes and blood,” Karl Schembri from Oxfam told IPS.

During the war more than half of Gaza’s children experienced a violent event, around 25 percent lost a loved one and 30 percent were forced to relocate.

Dr. Jameel Tahrawi from Gaza’s Islamic University conducted a study called “Drawings of Palestinian Children after the War on Gaza,” which surveyed 445 children in the north of Gaza.

“The study shows that over 82 percent of children drew the war and events related to it. Fifty-six percent used writing to explain their drawings as they felt the drawings were insufficient to convey their message,” Tahrawi told a Gaza Community Mental Health Program conference entitled “Twenty Months after the Israeli War on Gaza — Psychological Impacts on Palestinian Children” held in Gaza recently.

But there is still hope. Tahrawi explained that art therapy could be used as a bridge to a better future and that despite the gruesome content of many of the children’s pictures the drawings could help the children overcome their grief and move on.

“The children can relieve their stress by expressing their feelings instead of repressing them. I was surprised at the bright and cheerful colors used by certain children. I expected them all to use bleak colors such as black and brown. But the rainbow of colors is proof of their resilience,” Tahrawi told IPS.

“If they are given the chance and the same opportunities as other children they can overcome Gaza’s tragic history and circumstances. Unfortunately we don’t have sufficient people qualified in art therapy in Gaza,” added Tahrawi.

Dr. Suhail Diab from al-Quds Open University agrees that helping the children to understand their experiences and involving them in positive activities such as sport, music, writing and art would help to deal with their post traumatic experiences.

According to a study carried out on young medical patients, “Medical Art Therapy with Children” by Cathy Malchiodi, “participating in creative work within the medical setting can help rebuild the young patient’s sense of hope, self-esteem, autonomy, and competence while offering opportunities for safe and contained expression of feelings.”

Rahma Elesie, 9, has 14 brothers and sisters and also lives in al-Zarqa. In her spare time she plays on her computer or with her friends. But she loves drawing and painting.

“When I paint I feel happy and I feel relaxed. I like to imagine and draw pictures of happy families having picnics on the beach and I dream of being able to go for walks and picking pretty flowers,” Elesie tells IPS.

All rights reserved, IPS — Inter Press Service (2011). Total or partial publication, retransmission or sale forbidden.

Muhannad Othman Alazzeh

January 13, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 9:16AM Gilad Atzmon

Muhannad is a Palestinian artist who resides in Alazzeh refugee camp in occupied Palestine. However, he originates from the southern Palestinian village of Biet Jibrin, which has been ethnically cleansed by the Israeli Zionist troops in 1948. “Don’t beautify the Apartheid wall”, a quote by Alazzeh for an interview on the role of Palestinian and international artists and his views on the segregation wall built around the West Bank. Al Azzeh was born in September of 1981 to Othman Alazzeh, an Arabic literature teacher and Amal Alazzeh.

Since he’s shown an interest in Art and painting at the age of 10, his parents got him to participate in ‘Alwan’ (meaning colours in Arabic) workshop in Jerusalem, where he learnt and developed his talent at a young age and then published some of his work at the workshop’s magazine.

Watch video: here

In year 2003 Muhannad started his studies at Abu Dis University in occupied Palestine doing a BA in fine Art. However, before completing his first year, Alazzeh was arrested from his home by Israeli Occupation Forces for allegations of in-campus ‘student activism’.  Although this period of his life remains a tough one, yet the experience has not put him down but enriched his artistic talent and made him more determent to express and utilise his ability for the benefit of the people of Palestine.

His most recent participation in an exhibition entitled “Not Politics” was about his 3-year time in Israeli jails. The work, which he referred to as “April the 15th” (the day he was arrested) included some abstract paintings representing life outside the jail as seen from the inside. “A cell’s window was the only hope left, through its bars you could glimpse the ray

A UK  exhibition is due in March  (5th- 13th, Israeli Apartheid Week) at the  Duke of York Picture House, Brighton.

You can contact Muhannad on: muhannad194@gmail.com

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Mural commemorating Nakba revealed in Gaza

May 7, 2010
PIC
[ 07/05/2010 – 10:52 AM ]
GAZA, (PIC)– In the presence of Minister of Culture Dr. Osama al-Issawi, the High Commission to Commemorate the 62nd Anniversary of the Nakba on Thursday unveiled a mural depicting the Nakba and the entrenched belief that return of refugees to their home towns is inevitable.

Fifteen artists participated in the painting of the mural on the northern wall of the Saraya government building in Gaza city.

For his part, Dr. Al-Issawi stressed “the importance of art [as a way of conveying] the message, and its role in reinforcing the steadfastness of the Palestinian people,” noting that the participation of artists with their paintbrushes and colors and the presentation of their paintings is an expression of loyalty to Palestinian tenets, especially the right of return. He also stressed that Palestinian generations shoulder the burden and dream of liberation and return, God willing.

In response to a reporter’s question that there is the argument which claims that the old will die and the young will forget; he said that the participation of young artists is a practical proof of the failure of such a claim, adding that the occupation seeks to promote such ideas through the rumors the propagate here and there.

For his part, the artist responsible for coordinating work on the mural, Haitham Eid, said: “This mural expresses the resilience and defiance shown by the Palestinian people in the face of occupation, as well as the amount of suffering experienced by the Palestinian people, and affirms that the Palestinian people are sticking to their rights despite all plots against them,” .

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian