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Around 60 young
Palestinian musicians from the Occupied Territories
and around the world met last month, for the second
year running, in Jordan to bring together their
musical talents in a non-violent struggle against
Israeli occupation.

It’s three
o’clock on a particularly warm August Thursday near
the ancient city of Jerash. From the Olive Branch
Hotel Resort, on top of a hill and surrounded by
housands of olive and pine trees, nothing but
classical music can be heard. Around 60 young
musicians, aged 14-30, coming from different
countries in the Middle East and Europe are gathered
here to take part in the second annual workshop
organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory
of Music (ESNCM), in Palestine, in cooperation with
various Jordanian officials, institutions and
individuals, as well as different European
governments.
Apart from their
musical talent and youth, all the students share
something else: a Palestinian origin, which allows
them to be members of the Palestine Youth Orchestra,
a project launched a couple of years ago by the
ESNCM with the support of world renowned conductor
Daniel Barenboim.
For almost two weeks,
both students and tutors have been working hard in
order to be ready for their performance at the end
of the month in the North Theatre in Jerash. But
this summer again the way to the ancient Jordanian
stage has not been particularly easy for many of the
members of the young orchestra. For those musicians
and tutors coming from the Occupied Territories the
trip to Jerash, which should take a couple of hours,
had them on the road up to 15 if traveling from
Ramallah, about 11 hours in the case of those coming
from Bethlehem and 6 hours “in the best of the
cases” for the people from Jerusalem, as Dalia
Habash, Public Relations Officer at ESNCM points
out. The group from Syria had to also obtain
clearance from the Jordanian side.
But, in spite of the
obstacles, Jordan remains the country of choice for
the Palestinian Youth Orchestra to gather “simply
because it is the only country where Palestinians
from around the world can enter,” explains Habash.
“That’s why for us this project aims at bridging
gaps between countries. The orchestra also
represents our non-violent struggle against the
Israeli occupation.
WORDS Maria Font de
Matas PHOTOGRAPHY Sima Zureikat. |