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Balata drama group tour arrives in Edinburgh!

Paul O'Hanlon | 06.08.2005 00:31 | Education | World

This is a short piece describing the Balata drama group's arrival in Scotland with 7 attached photos.









The Balata drama group tour arrived at Edinburgh’s Turnhouse airport from Belfast at 10.00pm Friday evening. They were met by a gathering of around 20 members of Scottish Palestine solidarity who welcomed the touring group with Palestinian flags and a huge `Freedom for Palestine ` banner. The young Palestinian group were treated to coffee and tea by the SPSC and then with many of them tired from their travels they went to their accommodation. Details of the group’s performances are given below along with 7 attached photos.


A'edoon - youth from Balata refugee camp

2005 world premiere tour of Ireland and the UK
Saturday, 6th August: Edinburgh Fringe High Street Stage
Sunday, 7th: Edinburgh Fringe Cavalcade
Monday, 8th: Edinburgh Stockbridge Parish Church 2pm & 7.30pm
Tuesday, 9th: Edinburgh Stockbridge Parish Church 7.30pm
Wednesday 10th: Glasgow Pearce Institute Govan 1:30 pm
Thursday 11th: Glasgow Pollokshaws Burgh Hall 7.30pm
Sunday 14th: Dundee St Paul’s Church Hall 7.30pm
Vibrant drama and dabke from the alleys of Balata to the stages of Europe. Making their world debut, youth from Balata Refugee Camp will be touring Ireland and the UK from July 29th till August 23rd with a fusion of dance and drama.
Based out of the Yafa cultural centre, this innovative performance takes the audience through a roller coaster of the extremes 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 as refugees. While the people are trying to continue their lives by building schools and houses, the Israeli soldiers come back, attempting to force everybody to move again, to become refugees a second time over. As the camp inhabitants scatter and panic, a young boy is lost. Attempts by his sister to find him are to no avail, as it slowly dawns upon her that he was killed by the soldiers.

To book tickets contact:
Edinburgh: phone 0131 228 5459 / 07787 98779, (£6/£5)
Glasgow: phone 07969 375854 (£5/£3)
Dundee: phone 01382 908070 / 07913 800812
All proceeds will go towards helping the people of the camp and the development of new projects including: a woman’s resource centre; film-making; development of arts/crafts etc to provide income; and education programme including scholarship for the youth of the camp, etc.
If you wish to support the people of Balata refugee camp, and encourage the young people that will travel all the way to Scotland to perform, then please buy your tickets, NOW.






Word count 432 words





Paul O'Hanlon
- e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com


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