Festival of Palestinian Culture Beats Previous Years’ Attendance Despite Weather
A week-long celebration of Palestinian culture culminated in a successful community festival in Dorchester.
Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Festival of Palestinian Culture concluded on Saturday, 30 August, with an estimated 500+ people attending festival events over the course of the week, despite the challenging weather conditions on the main festival day in Borough Gardens.
The week-long festival, running from 25-31 August, aimed to challenge the dehumanisation of Palestinian people in the media, while celebrating and experiencing Palestinian culture through art, music, comedy, and community engagement with Palestinians from around the world.
This year’s festival, which also seeks to boost tourism and trade for local businesses, included:
- An art exhibition, hosted by Loving by Nature, displaying the works of the Gazan artist Malak Mattar.
- A sold-out comedy night, at the Kings Arms, headlined by British-Palestinian comedian Joe Haddad, alongside rising stars on the comedy circuit such as Farah Sharp.
- A sold-out rap gig, at Vinyl Van, featuring artists Speit, Professor Z, and Yung Yusuf who delivered an electric performance including a world premiere of a new song collaboration.
- A Festival, in Borough Gardens, with performances by local storyteller Raja Jarrah, poetry from spoken word artist Tasneim Zyada, experimental electronic music by Bint Mbareh, a book reading by the artist Malak Mattar’s mother, and a performance by internationally renowned oud player, Saied Silbak. This was accompanied by Palestinian food, which all sold out, arts, kid’s craft activities, clothing, literature, henna tattoos, and even a jewellery workshop celebrating the ancient Palestinian tradition of weaving, tatreez.
Andy Canning, Mayor of Dorchester, who visited both the Borough Gardens event and art exhibition, commented: “The Palestinian Cultural Festival was a really enjoyable event with music, storytelling, crafts, food and poetry. It was an excellent way to humanise Palestinian people, who are often only talked of as statistics, and to share this rich culture with the people of Dorchester. It was good to see so many people there enjoying this event.”
Somayah Musleh, officer for Dorset PSC, reflected on the festival’s success: “One of the biggest issues with the Palestinian genocide is that many people do not understand what is happening in Palestine. They do not understand that their own government is complicit in the genocide of an indigenous population. The second Palestinian Festival of Culture was a 5-day celebration of Palestinian comedy, music, food, raising awareness and funds for Palestinians who cannot currently celebrate their own culture as they are murdered en mass. The support from the public was phenomenal – we sold out of all of the food, comedy tickets and the rap night was packed.”
Rob Ferguson, Secretary of Dorset PSC, emphasized the cultural significance: “This festival has been an expression of Palestinian identity, humanity and resilience. For over 70 years the Palestinian people have resisted erasure. The slogan ‘Exist, Resist, Return’ reflects that refusal. A feature of all genocides is not only physical destruction but the erasure of the victims’ history and culture. This is why Israel denies the existence and history of the Palestinian people; this is why they have blown up every university in Gaza. So, this festival was a celebration of Palestinian history and culture, and of the common humanity we all share.”
Organisers are still tallying up figures but estimate the festival raised over £3,000 on the Saturday alone, with additional donations via a Go Fund Me page. After covering operational costs, remaining profits will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians and Dorset PSC to continue their advocacy work.
