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A Unique View of Baqa’a Refugee Camp

The Middle East Cultural Association | 29.01.2006 21:16 | Education | Social Struggles | Liverpool

Anne Douglas of the Morning Star newspaper looks at a new documentary on the 120,000 Palestinians who call Baqa’a their home.

A new film was shown on 26/1/2006 in Manchester, England and turns the spot light on life in the Baqa’a Refugee Camp in Jordan, which is home to around 120,000 displaced Palestinians.

Here’s Tomorrow follows the inhabitants of Baqa’a, which was established in 1968 to house the Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip fleeing their homeland as a result of the Arab-Israeli six-day war.

Filmed during a two-week visit to the camp last summer, it is the first documentary ever to be made about Baqa’a and it paints a vivid picture of life for its residents. Audiences are introduced to the people of the camp, through direct interviews, where residents talk about life in Baqa’a, raising children and their struggle for education.

The film touches on the Palestinian peoples determination to maintain and pass on their national and cultural heritage in the face of suffering, as well as young Palestinians’ dreams of returning to Palestine. Other interviews include a local doctor who talks about the general medical situation faced by the camp’s residents and the impact that poverty has had on health.

Here’s Tomorrow is the first part of a continuing documentary project focussing on the issues faced by Palestinian refugees. Its title is taken from the common phrase “Bukhra Phalestine!” – “Tomorrow Palestine!”

It’s aim is to bring a direct message of solidarity to the British people, along with the experience of a world far removed from ours and it has attracted widespread praise from Palestinians who have seen it. The film is the work of the Manchester-based Middle East Cultural Association UK, which was established in 2003.

Since its formation, the association has been involved in hosting and organising two-student exchange visits with Palestinian universities, two successful delegations to Baqa’a and a cultural exhibition on the Palestinian refugee situation.

The film was first shown on Thursday 26/1/2006 at the Zion arts centre in Manchester, where the organisers asked for a donation of only £3.50, with the proceeds going to Baqa’a, to help maintain and develop educational and sporting projects.

The Middle East Cultural Association is hoping to screen the film elsewhere in Britain and copies are also available to purchase from the association at £16.99 on DVD and £14.99 on VHS.

People and groups who are interested in setting up a screening in their area can contact the organisation at MECA, PO Box 202, Manchester, M21 7WD,
or e-mail