Haneen Yassin - Gaza
Calling for musical performances, mystical songs and prophetic praise of the hearts of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in order to light up a joyful side that has been darkened by years of suffering due to difficult living conditions and Israeli aggressions.
Dozens of Palestinians lived for more than three hours on musical performances and songs inspired by the Islamic, Palestinian and Shami heritage. The festival was organized by the Al Kamandjati Association in Gaza City. Three days.
| Mohammed Al-Lomani: The festival is trying to revive the Palestinian cultural heritage and highlight the most prominent archaeological sites and Palestinian landmarks (the island) |
A new image of Gaza
And the audience interacting with the festival, with the songs and chants with warm applause and chanting some words with the singer, while the children danced with their balloons for their mothers to take pictures of them with their mobile phones.
The vibrant colors of the festival painted a vivid new picture of Gaza City, which is rarely seen in the harsh living conditions and dire economic conditions it has been living for years.
"The Kamandjati Festival kicked off Thursday in Gaza and was witnessed by other Palestinian cities during the previous days, including Jericho, Jerusalem and Ramallah," said the coordinator of the festival of Kamandjati, a spiritual journey in Gaza.
| Side of the Music Festival in Gaza (Al Jazeera) |
Reviving the Palestinian heritage
The festival, which offers a collection of melodies, musical performances, prophetic praises and religious prayers, seeks to revive the Palestinian cultural heritage and to highlight the most prominent archaeological sites and Palestinian landmarks, according to Al-Lomani.
The first celebration of the festival in Gaza was organized on the beach as a symbol of the sector. Another celebration will be held at the Barqouq Citadel in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, the most famous Mamluk castles in Palestine.
The ceremony, held in the courtyard of the Chalets resort on the Gaza seashore, was attended by two technical teams from the sector.
In addition to reviving the Palestinian heritage, the festival aims mainly to ease the pressure of people in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli attacks and the conditions of the ongoing blockade since 2006, al-Lomani said.
Musical or lyrical festivals are rarely organized in the Gaza Strip because of the lack of institutions and actors involved in this aspect.
The scarcity of such a festival in Gaza has been reflected in the audience. The "Spirit Journey" has witnessed a wide participation, especially among young men and women.
| Ibrahim Daoud: These festivals give the world an idea that Gaza has musical and lyrical talents despite the difficult circumstances and events we live in (Al Jazeera) |
Rare moments of joy
Palestinian Maha Radwan, 27, was preoccupied most of the time with taking pictures with her mobile phone for her baby, who is carrying a balloon and dancing with the music.
"I hope that you will organize regular musical and lyrical events in Gaza, perhaps it will be an outlet for us," Maha said.
"I enjoyed my family a lot with this ceremony, and we listened to religious prayers, prophetic praise, songs and songs, beautiful and beautiful."
Maha hopes that the competent authorities in Gaza will take care of such celebrations that enhance the musical culture and revive an important aspect of heritage and its people.
In the first rows of the audience, complete harmony appeared in the face of the Palestinian Ibrahim Ismail Dawood (60 years) during the paragraph of the Prophet's praise.
"The living pressures in Gaza are very strong, and this festival and others give some kind of hope and entertainment and people get out of a state of repression," says David, a former music supervisor at the Education Ministry.
The music expert believes that the festival "Kamanjati" confirms that, despite the suffering of Gaza, people must live a moment of pleasure and hope.
Palestinians living in Gaza are living under harsh conditions of living due to the ongoing Israeli blockade since 2006.
In a September World Bank report, the Bank warned that Gazans were suffering from a severe shortage of liquidity, causing the economy to collapse.
The report stressed that the assistance provided to the sector can not provide the needs of the population in light of high rates of poverty and unemployment.