Here is Everything You Need To Know about Palestine’s International Festival for Music and Dance
With all the havoc and commotion in the world especially in the Middle East, it is important to break the pattern and dedicate some time for entertainment. The current Palestine International Festival for Music and Dance (PIF) is doing just that. Having started on the 17th of July, the PIF is currently providing people of various nationalities with amazing performances. The event is scheduled to conclude on the 29th of July.
But what is the Palestine International Festival for Music and Dance? It is a “creative cultural and arts project which communicates with the outside world and contributes towards breaking the cultural siege which has been imposed on Palestine and Palestinian people for decades”. It was also founded in 1993 and proved to be a huge success. As a result, the PIF is now an annual national event with more than 150,000 attendees that strengthens the ties between Palestinians from different regions. Even though the Popular Arts Centre could not carry on the festival from 2000 till 2005 due to the strenuous political and economic situation, the event was soon revived and further extended its reach to different cities, villages, and refugee camps in the West Bank to overcome the checkpoints imposed by the Israeli occupation.
Over the years, the PIF has hosted countless individuals and groups in the fields of music and dance. STOMP from the UK , Gypsy Kings, Fire of Anatolia from Turkey , the Irish dance group Rhythm of the Dance, the Chilean groups Bafochi and Intillimani, and My Dream (one Hundred Hands) from China are just a few of the many acts that have wowed the crowds and emphasized the significance of art in Palestine. In addition, “hundreds of volunteers participated in the annual festival, while numerous local businesses, foreign embassies, consulates and international organizations, provided material and financial support, which greatly contributed to its success”.
