The 22 A'edoon performers took Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England by storm between July 29th - August 23rd with a fusion of dance and drama.

The Tour

A'edoon received rave reviews as most venues were packed out and performances ended with audiences joining in the dabke. Festivals performed in included the Edinburgh Fringe, the Belfast and the Derry Feile. Street performances and parades complemented shows in theatres and community centres.

The fourteen performances were squeezed into 26 days. Audience empathy served an important function in challenging the isolation of Balata by validating the performers' work.

Apart from raising the Palestine issue amongst new audiences, the tour gave the children space away from occupation and oppression. Days off were spent caving, speedboating, ice-skating, visiting the zoo, in two amusement parks and on five trips to the beach.

Connections were made through sharing experiences of struggle in various cities. In Derry the Balata kids connected with local youth while painting murals. In Belfast Gerry Adams invited them to open the Feile. Scottish Muslim youth engaged the performers in discussion while the Lord Provost of Dundee and Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association discussed supporting Balata.

The tour raised £6,000 towards construction of a theatre in Balata.

The Performance

Based out of the Yafa Cultural Centre, this innovative performance takes the audience through a rollercoaster of human emotion - from pain and sadness, resentment and outrage, to laughter and finally inspiration and hope.

Originally based on Marcel Khalife's 'Ahmed Al-Arabi', the "A'edoon" production chronicles the expulsion of Palestinians from their village and their ensuing oppression and struggle to survive as refugees. While the people are trying to come to terms with their squalid lives in refugee camps, the soldiers follow them.

Fused into the drama is Dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance. Focused on the legs, the boys and girls fly across the stage in unison to live music and singing, wearing beautiful locally produced costumes. High energy and excitement envelopes the room.

Their Lives

The children of this group come from extremely difficult backgrounds; most have missing family members in prison or murdered.

During the four years of intifada, Balata Camp has faced months of 24 hour curfew and years of closure. Many of the children had not left Balata or neighbouring Nablus City since the intifada started.

Abu Hamdan

Madlen

Nuur

To combat the despair and isolation of their situations, they have created an artistically captivating and politically poignant form of resistance.

from the alleys of balata to the stages of europe

Films available

Download from film collective page

see further photographs of dabke and drama from Balata