Events
Palestine at the Palace: Kids Culture Day
Palestine at the Palace for kids was held on 1st June at the Pheonix Centre, Upper Norwood. We had an impressive turnout of over 250 children and their families, all wanting to learn about and support Palestine.
Our mission was to inform, educate and raise awareness about Palestine in a child-friendly way. Our team of educators, artists and parents put on a diverse array of crafting activities, including printing of birds in dedication to the lost children of Gaza, silk painting with artists Samia Tossio and Dina Sawalha, and traditional storytelling with Palestinian actor and director Elias Mattar.
Our heritage hub, a traditionally styled story-telling tent and dressing up area attracted lots of interest. We are indebted to our member Elise for curating the hub and producing such engaging information on Palestinian symbolism, a thread running through each and every one of our crafting activities.
Another CPFP member Zoe, a primary school teacher, led on education: bite size, hand-written educational messages were displayed on walls around the hall, along with information about famous Palestinians.
In the dressing up area, a display board on Palestinian traditional costume explained the history of the thobe and the meaning behind tatreez designs. Some antique Palestinian headdresses were also on show. Our volunteers Um Abed made the beautiful boys’ costumes, and Laila ran the exhibition and dressing up area.
Our day would not have been complete without some retail therapy! Palestinian businesses who joined us on the day included Chachoulie, Saffron & Honey, Sweets Habibi and Maqam Books. Special thanks to Rima from Chachoulie who made and gave away free balloon displays, and for her generous donations to the raffle.
Finally, congratulations to 5-year old Mara who won ‘Lubna the Gazan doll,’ the first prize in our raffle. Lubna was made by 'Madeena the doll' project in Jordan. It is heartening that Mara will learn about Palestinian heritage through the doll, the doll she described as ‘Queen of the Kingdom’. We dedicated the doll to Lubna Alyaan, an aspiring violinist at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Gaza, who was tragically killed, along with her entire family, in an Israeli bombardment. She was 14 years old at the time.
CPFP is indebted to the organising committee who worked tirelessly over several months to host this event. Their commitment and enthusiasm knows no bounds! Thank you, Maysoon, Marnie, Elise, Donna, Lisa, Susie, Shahada, Isobel, and Zoe. Thank you also to our legions of volunteers who helped on the day.
Stand up for Palestine
Our sold out event at Croydon Football Club in May, featured a range of talented artists. Wissam Boustani, internationally renowned flautist opened with 'And The Wind Whispered', which sees our fragile planet from the perspective of the wind that travels across the globe oblivious to the borders that separate humanity.
Then we heard virtuoso violinist, Bassel Harari’s Arab fusion music, embodying the refugee experience and his own migration, as an exile.
Hafiza Ibrahim, Palestinian poet and refugee, performed three of her poems- ‘Gaza’, ‘A Handful of Sand’ and ‘I shall Return’, illustrating the indomitable spirit of the Palestinian people in the face of decades-long injustice.
Maddy Carty sang a selection of songs including ‘How the Hell can You Call This a War’ conveying the brutality of Israeli genocide. Joe Haddad, a Palestinian comedian, skilfully shifted the mood to comedy, relating stories of his upbringing in South London. Mark Thomas, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, headlined. Mark's set combined comedy with his usual political activism. We offer huge thanks to the artists for their generosity, and to Ian Ashby for his 'donation’ of the venue.
The event raised £2,000 for PalMusic's Gaza emergency fund.
Palestine Training
On Saturday 6 April 2024, Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine organised a day of knowledge building and communications training for almost 30 South London activists. The training was facilitated by Makan, a UK based, Palestinian-led education organisation that strengthens voices for Palestinian rights.
Our day consisted of a morning session on the history of the Palestinian struggle and an interactive afternoon session of communications and debate training focusing on the main topics of conversation around Palestine. We were joined on the day by activists from Lambeth and Wandsworth PSC, Merton PSC, Croydon PSC as well as members of our local community who want to be better equipped to raise awareness about the Palestinian struggle. We emerged well prepared for our future activities and with stronger links to other local Palestine groups.
Coffee Morning in aid of PalMusic emergency fund
On Sunday 3 March, CPFP hosted a coffee morning at the Paxton Centre in Crystal Palace to raise funds for PalMusic, the UK ambassador for the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM). CPFP has previously raised funds for PalMusic to provide music bursaries for children in Gaza.
In January, we learned that the ESNCM in Gaza had been partially bombed, and what remained had been vandalised by the Israeli armed forces. Instruments, educational resources and sheet music were all damaged and destroyed. Thankfully, however, Gaza’s only grand piano has been spared and remains unscathed within the shell of the building. The school’s teachers and pupils were not so lucky. All have been displaced and Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year old violin protégé, tragically lost her life, along with around 50 members of her family, after her family home was bombed.
There was huge support and a great turnout for the fundraiser. We were pleased to see many new faces who, appalled by the genocide being perpetrated by Israel, turned up to support us. On the day, we raised £700 for PalMusic which will support the teachers and students in Gaza who have been displaced.
Vigils for Gaza
Since October 2023, CPFP has held monthly vigils at Vicar’s Oak to remember the victims of the genocide being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Our vigils have been an opportunity for the community to come together, to grieve and to give support to local people who have lost loved ones. We have been joined by local musicians, poets, singers and activists who have performed and spoken in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza.
During our most recent vigil in February, we focused on the Palestinian journalists murdered by Israel, by far the highest number of media workers killed this century in any conflict. Despite the bitter cold, rain and wind, we had a large number of attendees who joined us under our gazebos for hot mint tea, poetry, song and speeches.
We heard the moving testimony of Gazan playwright and artistic director, Ahmed Najar, whose beloved grandmother was murdered by Israel and whose extended family are trapped in Northern Gaza; we heard the important message of Dave Cannon of the anti-Zionist Jewish Network for Palestine who spoke about the importance of Jewish solidarity with Palestine. We had rousing songs of solidarity from the Strawberry Thieves Socialist Choir and Lizzie Shirley, as well as a poignant reading by nine-year-old Ariana, entitled ‘Every Child Matters’. We also heard poetry written by Hafiza Ibrahim in Arabic and performed in translation by Maysoon Delahunty.
Our candles lit up the street, spelling out ‘Save Rafah’ and our Palestinian flags fluttered in the wind, bringing love, solidarity and shared grief to Crystal Palace. We shall continue to come together and support each other for as long as this brutal genocide continues.
Palestine at the Palace
Join Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine on Saturday 2 September 2023 for a celebration of Palestinian culture, art, crafts, food and music.
The day will include an exhibition / sale of affordable art, a live oud performance, traditional food in our themed cafe and the opportunity to pick up some fabulous bargains from Palestinian businesses in the UK. There will be ceramics, jewellery, embroidery, keffiyehs, fairtrade produce and much, much more.
Think Palestine is “complicated” and all about “conflict”? Think again! Join us on 2 September and find out more about the Palestinian struggle for liberation through its wonderful and vibrant culture.
Women’s Institute Talk on Palestine
In November 2022, Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine arranged for Diana Safieh, daughter of Palestinian diplomat, Afif Safieh, to speak to the Penge and Palace Women’s Institute.
Diana related her own personal story and drew on anecdotes from her father's career as a Palestinian diplomat. She told the women of Penge and Palace about her family's dispossession in 1948, about her father losing his right to return to his homeland after the 1967 war, and of Israel's continuous violations of international law.
Diana also gave striking contemporary examples of the daily struggles of the Palestinian people and their resilience living under Israeli occupation.
We were pleased to have the opportunity to bring Palestinian history and current realities to an audience of local women who were keen to learn more.
Palestinian Party
On Sunday 11 September 2022, Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine held its first public, cultural event, a Palestinian garden party.
Guests were treated to delicious Palestinian food and Manchester based duo, Gazelleband, provided rousing resistance music on the day.
We raffled hampers stuffed full of quality Palestinian produce donated by chef Sami Tamimi, Elbustan Palestinian Shop, Zaytoun, and Crystal Palace Candles. The money raised has been donated to UK charity PalMusic to provide musical activities and education for children living in the besieged Gaza Strip.