February, 1998: NEW!

* Special Events:

The Ramallah based Tamer Institute for Community Education, specializing in encouraging reading among children, launched its annual reading campaign this month. This year’s campaign had the 50th anniversary of the Nakba as its theme. Plays for children were put together, workshops on collecting oral history accounts, a booklet was produced for teachers for oral history collections, a poster contest was launched, films on Palestinian themes were broadcast in various schools and community centers of the country, & inside the green line, for Palestinian children there.

* Literature:

- Poet Ali el Khalili published a new novel, Moussiqa al Arghifa (Bread Loaves’ Music), portraying one family’s coming to grips with new social realities in the wake of the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority. The book was published in Jerusalem, by the Palestinian writers’ Union.

- Writer Izzat Ghazzawi published a new novel: "AbdAllah Tillali", recounting its title character exiles and imprisonements in Palestine, Lebanon, etc.. The book is published by the Palestinian Writer's Union in Jerusalem.

* Visual Arts:

-A new gallery opened in Ramallah: Al-Matall. The Gallery is located in a traditional Ramallah home, converted into offices for the Cinema Production Center (run by Director Rashid Masharawi), the gallery, and a bar/café. The gallery opened with a rare exhibit of modern ceramic works by six prominent Iraqi artists, such as: Saad Chaker, Maher al Samerai, Qassem Nayef, & Torky Hussein, etc.

- Painter Assad Azzi held a new exhibit at the Wasiti in Jerusalem. The show will be exhibited at the Sakakini next month.

- Photographer Steve Sabella held his first exhibit in Palestine: "Moment of Truth", consisting of infrared photographs of the Palestinian countryside. The show was held at the Jerusalem French Cultural Center.

*Music:

The French cultural centers network in Palestine organized concerts in Jerusalem, Nablus, Gaza, and Ramallah with French musicians: classical concerts with two different groups of musicians from the Paris Opera, and jazz concerts.