We're creating an installation composed of pictures, sound, childrens art,
photos, film, stories and interviews from Balata Refugee Camp. The content
is determined by the people of the camp, and will both represent life here
and bring a message to people in the 'West'. We hope to take the project
on tour around the US, UK and Sweden, aiming to raise awareness about the
complex and desperate situation in the refugee camps, spur viewers into
action and build links between people and organisations in Balata camp and
others outside. This connections will hopefully lead to increased visits
and new projects such as a library and cultural centre.
However, for the project to happen we desperately need support from people
back 'home'.


Why Balata?
Balata Refugee Camp is one of the most hardhit communities in the West
Bank. Refugees from the 1948 expulsion, the over 30,000 residents are
crammed into a single suffocating square kilometre. Unemployment is the
norm, and most families rely on UNWRA handouts for survival. Daily
'visits' by Israeli military jeeps and tanks that park at the entrances
and shoot into the camp are taken for granted. It is rare to meet somebody
who hasn't tasted tear gas, every second boy seems to have been shot at
some stage, and there isn't a house the soldiers haven't entered at some
point. See below for a selection of my entries concentrating on the
situation in the camp.
Despite being the largest refugee camp in the West Bank, Balata receives
very limited outside support. Visitors are rare and links to abroad are
practically non-existent.


What can you do?
The installation will be on tour around the US, UK and Sweden from early
March onwards. We hope to show it both in large cities and smaller
communities, in venues such as schools, exhibition halls, churches - the
more imaginative the better.
We badly need help from people around the countries organising venues,
events and publicity. The provisional dates for the UK are March
10th-April 15th, with Sweden somewhere in the middle and the US after
that. If you can organise a local showing, or even better, help
co-ordinate a visit to a region, please email me at  jolifanto@riseup.net.
We will remain in Palestine until just before these dates, so are relying
on people back home to organise things.


Current progress on the project:

So far, we have been working together with individuals, various local
committees and community organisations, youth groups and friends in
collecting the materials. A bag of childrens art and posters have already
been posted out. We have trained local friends to use our camera and
produce their own film, and have collected many hours of our own. This
week we are running children's activities creating art, stencils and video
interviews. We are also collecting testimonies from survivors of the 1948
'Nakba', and interviewing people whose homes have been demolished or are
threatened with demolition.
We'll be writing weekly updates on what we're doing for the project. to
receive these, please email  jolifanto@riseup.net with 'Add me' in the
subject line.


that's all for now, really hope people are interested in helping out. Many
people in Balata camp, as well as Kelly and I, are excited about the
project. To keep up to date on the situation here or read past writings of
mine and Kelly's, see
Kelly:  http://www.madison-rafah.org/correspond.html
Mika:  http://www.notesfrompalestine.net/


Phone numbers here:
+972 59 737118 +972 66 387331 +972 65 237229

Past website entries on Balata
Waiting
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000085.htm
Eighth day of terrorism
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000082.htm
Life continues in Balata
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000081.htm
'Entertainment' in Balata
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000076.htm
Disguised soldiers, hungry people and international law
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000073.htm
Raining paint
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000069.htm
Stones jeeps bulldozers
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000067.htm
16 shot in Balata last Tuesday
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000066.htm
Another murder in Balata
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000063.htm
Digging in the sand
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000038.htm
More photos from the invasions of Balata and Nablus
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/ism/archives/00000033.htm