12 London-based creative collectives are coming together to host an event dedicated to spreading awareness and mobilising action around what is happening in Gaza and Palestine.
The day-long event, named ‘Arts Action Palestine’, is taking place on Sunday 5 November in Islington and is focusing on spotlighting Palestinian voices through the work of grassroots creative collectives.
Dania Arafeh, a key organiser of the event and the founder of ‘3eib’, highlighted the motivation behind assembling Arts Action Palestine.
Arafeh said: “This event is aimed at educating and mobilising people in support of Palestinian liberation and a ceasefire.
“It is targeted at those who feel confused and helpless, but want to educate themselves and take action.”
Gaza has been bombarded since the attacks in Israel on October 7.
Gaza health authorities say that the death toll has now passed 9000, and more than half of Gaza’s population has already been displaced.
Israel has imposed a blockade cutting off electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza, meaning that hospitals are collapsing and people are in urgent need of food and humanitarian aid.
Arts Action Palestine has been organised to raise awareness for the plight of Palestinians by giving a platform to Palestinian artists and academics to send across their message.
A multitude of interesting programmes, activities and opportunities available for attendees on the day.
Film screenings curated by various different collectives will be shown, including shorts by Palestinian filmmakers offering first person accounts of life in Palestine.
There will be live acoustic music performances by Palestinian musicians and spoken word performances by Palestinian poets.
For those who want to get creative, there will be workshops you can take part in such as designing your own solidarity posters.
Furthermore, several panel discussions are taking place to challenge and dispel some of the narratives about Palestine which have been propagated in the media.
The organisers of the event are aiming to bring a large number of diverse London grassroots collectives together in order to spread their message as far as possible.
Arafeh said: “We are spotlighting Palestinian voices through our curation, but the majority of our partners are non-Arabs as this is the demographic we are targeting.
“We have capacity for 600 attendees throughout the day and we are serious about making a big impact.”
The event is also providing an opportunity to fundraise for donations to groups working to support those in Gaza and Palestine.
There will also be food and drinks served throughout the day for a small donation, and 100% of any other optional proceeds are being donated to Medical Aid Palestine and Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK is the UK’s largest solidarity movement mobilising civic action.
Medical Aid Palestine are working extensively to support urgent healthcare services and distribute medical supplies to people on the ground at a time where there is a huge shortage of critical supplies to communities in Gaza.
The organisers of the event are ensuring that there is a safe route for the aid to reach those in Gaza before donating the funds.
You can donate to Medical Aid Palestine using this link: https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate
The day-long event is free entry and taking place this Sunday between 12-6pm, at Young Space, 85-87 Southgate Road, N1 3JS.
You can get tickets for Arts Action Palestine through this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arts-action-palestine-tickets-748341147517?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
The collaborators involved in the event are: 3EIB, Minute Shorts, Baesianz, Resolve Collective, The Slow Grind, Azeema, Girls in Film, Nafs Space, Maqam, AZL, The Road to Nowhere, Mayday Rooms, The White Pube, Shasha.
Feature Image Credit: Baesianz
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