News
Our January PalCeilidh
was the first to feature traditional Palestinian Dabke Dance! Presented in collaboration with ZarifAtToul-AsSamer, a fundraising social enterprise project that helps orphans and mothers in the Palestinian camps of Jordan and Gaza, it was evening of music and joy. HUGE thanks to Samer and his Company, and to the evening’s featured musicians: Doctur Normul (debut album: The Arms of My Own Kindness out now) who, along with Shaun Moore added ‘a bit of rad to the trad’.
Feedback from many attendees has described it as the best yet: “there was such an uplifting feeling of solidarity in the room”, and Samer said “it was a pleasure to be with you, we were so happy to be there and we can’t thank you enough for what you do for our causes”.
Another commented: “it was a wonderful night, a Palestinian friend had questioned the nature of the event in the context of Gaza. Doubts were quickly dispelled and a growing sense of solidarity and humanity has shone through vividly, illuminating the kind of world WE want. This doesn’t in any way diminish the suffering and injustice inflicted on the people of Palestine, it strengthens the resolve to be part of the on-going movement that will eventually see justice and accountability.”
Support for PalCafe
Dr Lizzie Eldridge, writer, activist
‘Our Palestinian sisters and brothers are arriving in Glasgow every month; many have been evacuated to study at Glasgow University. PalCafe provides a much-needed space and a wealth of activities that welcome Palestinians and Palestinian culture as an integral part of Glasgow, offering a safe space for people to meet and support each other. It is a place of hope, solidarity and, more than anything, love. I fully support PalCafe’s vital work and hope they find permanent premises soon and place Palestine in the very heart of Glasgow.’
November’s PalCeilidh at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church Hall featured ceilidh dancing music from Fran, Joseph, Holli, Will & Kai. We also had Anna singing and Zac piping.
Huge PalCeilidh thanks to Babs Nigriogair, Jo Aitken and Mairi MacMillan for organisation and to John and all at the Church. Thanks too to the large band of helpers on the door and on the bar (and behind the scenes).
We presented the ceilidh in collaboration with the Glasgow Bethlehem Twinning Association and profits of £1,055 will be going to the School of Joy.
David Myles from GBTA thanked PalCafe “for the collaboration and support. The school is in Beit Sahour, Bethlehem. Father Mamdouh Abu Sada, the school’s founder, visited Glasgow in November. He talked about how special needs education is in its infancy in Palestine and, while remarkable work is being done, much of the methodology is still quite primitive. GBTA is exploring the possibility for two or three of the school’s teachers to visit Glasgow and spend “shadow” time with colleagues doing similar work here. We are very keen for PalCafe to come to fruition and stand ready to do what we can to help in the journey.”
Support for PalCafe
Dr Philippa Whitford:
“Having lived and worked in Gaza, I have been heartbroken watching the slaughter and destruction unfolding over the last two years, including the loss of friends and colleagues.
To overcome the feeling of helplessness in the face of such suffering, people have taken to the streets in protest, lobbied their MPs and organised fundraising for humanitarian charities.
PalCafe is a newly registered charity which has sprung from the grassroots of such action. They have already organised many events, including their monthly ceilidhs, and I look forward to them establishing a permanent venue in Glasgow to host informative political discussions along with cultural events in support of Palestinian sovereignty and peace.”
Dr Philippa Whitford is a politician, surgeon, former MP and Shadow Health Spokesperson. She has also worked as a medical volunteer in a United Nations hospital in the Gaza Strip and spent the 2016 parliamentary recess travelling to the West Bank to operate on women suffering from breast cancer, as well as advising hospitals in Gaza on how to improve healthcare.
Go to our JOIN US page and register your support if you’re interested in becoming a community shareholder or volunteer. You can help shape the future of PalCafe.
The proceeds from our September and October ceilidhs is going to help the Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) to support its responsive and targeted work with some of the most threatened and marginalised Palestinian communities and individuals. HIRN is small and agile by design and is able to respond quickly when help is needed. They manage several grassroots humanitarian and development projects at any one time. HIRN is 100% volunteer led, so every penny goes to people who need it. HIRN is a partner of the AMOS Trust which provides admin support to the UK Friends of HIRN
Support for PalCafe
Professor Alison Phipps
As UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and Arts at University of Glasgow and as someone who has worked continuously in Gaza with colleagues and students since 2009, I wholeheartedly support the PalCafé initiative as a symbol of solidarity, of practical hope and of justice. It is vital that the great heart-break at the failure of international state structures to prevent genocide, or to act when so ordered by the International Court of Justice, is addressed by ordinary people of good will, and is organised for remedy, vision and restoration. Palcafé offers us a means of channelling the great energies of the movements for justice in ways which are effective, practical and poetic. It builds on years of solidarity through education, and through staff and student initiatives at the University of Glasgow.
PalCafe Potbanging
PalCafe supporters join the local, national and international Pot Banging Campaign to generate mass support to end starvation in Gaza …