Tatreez Cafe, London

Source: courtesy voyagingknave on TripAdvisor

When the Palestine Costume Archive first started, in the early 1980s, if you wanted a Palestinian meal anywhere in the Palestinian diaspora you went to family or friends' homes.  But wonderfully these days Palestinian cafes and restaurants are springing up all over the diaspora. Archive friends and volunteers regularly ask about them, so we thought we might review some of our favorites.

Let's start with the UK:

Archive staff have several favorites including Habibi Restaurant in Coventry and two in London: Maramia Cafe and Tatreez Cafe.  We're going to talk about Tatreez Cafe today.  We chose to review it for two reasons. First, it's name :)  The word tatreez describes traditional Palestinian embroidery. We loved that the cafe uses this "cross stitched" logo:

Second, because Tatreez Cafe is a designed space, specifically created to evoke Palestinian culture and landscape within a 21st century urban environment.  Does it succeed?

It certainly does :) It mixes the modern industrial world (brick walls, burnished metal panels, metal air ducts, etc)

Source: courtesy Relic Interior London

with echoes of older traditions (wooden tables and chairs, handwritten blackboard menu,

Source: TimeOut

while components like the form and colour of the huge pizza oven

Source: courtesy Relic Interior London

the shape of the vertical decorative wooden panels and the earth coloured tiled floor

Source: courtesy Relic Interior London

as well as these cotton table decorations

Source: courtesy voyagingknave on TripAdvisor

 evokes the Palestinian village landscape. Tatreez Cafe was designed by Relic Interiors London.

Cafe design

Source: courtesy Relic Interiors

Interestingly Relic Interiors posted one of their mood boards for the project on their website:

Source: courtesy Relic Interiors London

We really enjoyed going through this and checking off inspiration points against the final cafe design. We think Relic Interiors interpreted their client's ideas really well.

Hang on a moment, you say, one of the embroidery panels in that mood board looks rather familiar. It is indeed. The blue piece at the top towards the centre is a detail of a jumbo cushion embroidered by the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza. Dr Fathi Arafat donated it to our museum. The image has probably been swiped from Flikr, even though we have copyright / all rights reserved stated on those images. Ah well, we don't mind. Perhaps as a return favor Relic Interiors won't mind us using their photographs of Tatreez in this post :) (with source info / links of course)

Anyway, back to our review. We think Relic Interiors did a great job. The Palestinian village feel is enhanced by the use of free hanging black and white poster size photos printed on to fabric of pre 1948 Palestinian village and bedu life.

Source: courtesy voyagingknave on TripAdvisor

In his TripAdvisor review voyagingknave identifies these "massive photos on tapestry" as the work of "Palestine's first female photographer".  Some look like they are from the Matson Collection / American Colony Photographers to us, but they may well be Karimeh Abbud's (the "Lady Photographer" who was the first female professional photographer in Palestine) as much new information has just been uncovered about her. We'll put up a separate post sometime.  

Hopefully the tapestry photo panels at Tatreez Cafe have labels somewhere providing details of the photographer / date / which aspect of Palestinian society they reveal (the bedu desert lifestyle being very different from those of villagers, whose world Tareez Cafe has tried so hard to evoke).

Source: courtesy Relic Interior London

A private room provides a further exhibition space:

Source: courtesy voyagingknave on TripAdvisor

Tatreez Cafe is quite new - it opened last year, with a soft opening mid year followed by a great party on 27 September 2013:

Owner Hana Haj Ahmad posted this invitation:

"It has been quite a journey full of strong determination & hard work from the start of the visualisation of Tatreez Café up till our opening in June this year. And with the help of our lovely family + talented friends, Tatreez was put together, in style! 

"Whilst we were in soft opening mode, we have been working harder and harder to add our unique finishing touch to our beautiful space. Now the time has come to officially celebrate all this hard work, therefore, we invite you to celebrate with us our official opening with a bang! We will be opening our back mezzanine room, outdoor balcony + launching our full brand. We are presenting a photographic celebration of Palestinian embroidery 'tatreez', people + culture.  Thanks to our dear friend Daniel Junsei who has helped us immensely to put this together. 

"We will also be hosting + highlighting Gilgamesh Publishing house’s recent book ‘Jerusalem, Palestine + Jordan’ by Hisham Khatib who has presented a unique collection of art and printed works, covering the 400-year period of ottoman rule in the region.
The evening will host unique performances that will put you right in the mood to compliment our lovely setting: 

8:00
A Middle Eastern band, lead by the amazing ABDEL SALAM KHEIR, that will take you on an authentic 'tarab' journey, performing and singing the most beautiful Arab classics by the likes of giants Umm Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez & Asmahan. Experience enchanting 'tarab', a music that was at its pinnacle in the 50's and 60's, a style of music that is rare nowadays though can still be revived by the likes of Abdel Salam Kheir. 

9:30
YAZ FENTAZI TRIO:
YAZ FENTAZI: The Guardian has described Yaz his compositions as having “breadth and atmosphere, and his oud soloing, which recalls the drive and dynamism of world Oud star Anouar Brahem, is often stunning." He was invited to perform record and tour with the Master Drummers of Africa, Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin), Natacha Atlas, Transglobal Underground,Peter Ind, and the main composer of Fantazia Band and more. 

ERIC FORD: Drummer Eric Ford has played a huge variety of music including fusion with Hadrien Feraud (of John McLaughlin's band), Latin jazz with Irvin Acao (of Irakere), soul with Ruby Turner, contemporary jazz with Duncan Eagles' Partikel, Nicolas Meier and many others, as well as theatre shows, pop, rock, blues and much else! 

ZAD ADDA: Zad Adda is a virtuoso bass player who grew up with a mix of cultures including North African music, jazz and flamenco. He studied jazz at the Academy of Marseille and he’s the leader and composer of the Beessap Band, based in London. 

You can only imagine the result when these masters combine! Book your diaries and come join our celebrations!

We've quoted this in full because it gives a great idea of what Tatreez Cafe is all about - which is Palestinian culture in all it's forms. Music continues to be a highlight of the cafe, both in terms of special events and "just happens to be playing while you're eating" events.

Source: courtesy voyagingknave on TripAdvisor

But the cafe offers so much more than that.  Rana B. Baker got it absolutely write when she reviewed the cafe on Facebook a few months back:

"There's something about this place which really draws me into it; the atmosphere, staff, food, and music all converge to deliver a unique culinary experience, and, with a book in hand, one can add an intellectual flavour to it..."

Another Facebook reviewer Merce Benet described the cafe as:

"a really special and unique place in the World. Palestinian pure roots in a radically contemporany soul. Genuine fresh mediterranean food in a jazzy and artistic atmosphere."

We were not at all surprised when PalFest began hosting events there.

And then there's the food and drink.

Source: courtesy Yeah Hackney

The cafe serves a small vegetarian menu which is also turning out to be a hit with patrons with food allergies (Simonetta on November 11th, 2013: "Lovely restaurant with very friendly and helpful staff. The food was gorgeous!!! First class ingredients, everything fresh… I am a coeliac, and they made every effort to provide me with gluten free food").  Sarah Lewis and Josh Loeb explain more about the menu in their 14 October 2013 post about the cafe:

"North West London may be the traditional destination for Middle Eastern eats in our city, but last month saw the official opening in Stoke Newington of Tatreez, a Palestinian eatery serving Levantine and vegetarian food. 

"Candlelit and with an exposed brick interior and a selection of (mostly Lebanese) wines and beers, the cafe offers a menu that evidently has an experimental local crowd in mind.
It eschews well-known staples like hummus and falafel in favour of introducing diners to other less famous but equally tasty and authentic Levantine classics such as mana’eesh, a middle eastern style pizza baked in a large white stone oven with toppings such as vegetables with labneh (sour yogurt) and spinach, onion and lemon (mostly £5). 

"And no Palestinian restaurant worth its zataar would be complete without foul (fava beans and chickpeas mashed with garlic and lemon and fresh bread, priced £6.50). The makdoos, a pickled aubergine dish, is delicate and delicious, and the food has a fresh and healthy taste.  Owner Hana Haj Ahmad says the dishes are made according to her mother’s recipes ... Most fun is the jalab, a date-syrup and rosewater drink with pine nuts."

Source: courtesy Hackney Citizen blog

 Ellen Hardy from TimeOut also enjoyed her meal:

"After a bowl of Palestinian olives and a couple of easy-drinking Lebanese beers, we had tart makdous – pickled baby aubergines stuffed with walnuts and chilli – fluffy, creamy and warm full-stewed chickpeas, and crisp manaeesh flatbread baked with a cheese and za’atar thyme mix"

Martina O writes in her review on yelp:

"Animated owner Hana Haj Ahmad served us mana'eesh, a middle eastern style pizza baked in the afformentioned massive stone oven with  labneh, spinach, onion and lemon toppings, we also had the makdoos, a pickled aubergine dish, which is delicious and fried cauliflower,  a uniquely distinctive dish which was a favourite of ours."

Rana B. Baker  found "the thyme and cheese manakeesh are particularly delicious." while Nick Saltmarsh found the fava beans "Some of the best-cooked fava beans I've tasted. And I've tried a few!". Finally Merce Benet suggests patrons "Try the palestinian Za'atar with bread and olive oil...it is just unforgetable! Loved it!"

Source: courtesy Tatreez Cafe Facebook page

The Middle Eastern alcohol selection has also provided popular. Ellen Hardy tried "a honeyed Palestinian white wine, but there are also some excellent Lebanese wines", while one yelp reviewer notes: "Top tip, (if you like wine) try the Lebanese wine, as it's one of the most delectable wines that has ever made the journey down my oesophagus."

Reviewer stuart round also notes on Time Out that the cafe is dog friendly.

Tatreez Cafe comes highly recommended from us - it's a tiny, welcoming corner of Palestine and London is richer for it's existence :)

More Info:

• 188 Stoke Newington High St, London, N16 7JD
• Tatreez Cafe on Facebook
• Tatreez Cafe - TripAdvisor reviews
• Tatreez Cafe - Plus Google
• Tatreez Cafe - yelp
• Tatreez Cafe - Time Out
• Hackney Citizen - Palestinian Cafe Tatreez Cafe
• Demotix - Palestinian Festival of Literature at Tatreez Cafe
• Relic Interiors London

Bet Lahem Annual Festival 19 - 22 June

source

The second Bet Lahem Festival is on next month. It's organized by the Holy Land Trust, and it's going to be terrific this year. Have a look at the links below:

• Bet Lahem Festival
• Bet Lahem Festival on Facebook
• Bet Lahem Festival program
• Program on Facebook
• Holy Land Trust

Time for a five minute break

Wherever you are in the world, when you stop for morning tea this morning, why not take 5 minutes to enjoy both the music and artist Paula Cox's magical expressive line in her video:

"celebrating the life of Palestinian women"

That's what we'll be doing during our tea break :)

Traditional Day, Bethlehem University

Wow.  We are so impressed.

The You Tube video at the top by RoyaTV captures Bethlehem University's Traditional /  "Be Proud With Your Palestinian Dress" Day.  Even if you don't speak Arabic it's well worth watching to see the lovely traditional garments being worn.

Photo: Yahya Hbaibb
Source

Traditional Day took place on April 16 2013. Prior to the day, the event was promoted on Facebook by students Hind Abu-Shkhadim and Shoroq M. Thawabta. We hope they and photographers Ghassan Shosha and Yahya Hbaibb won't mind us sharing some of the photos they've all shared on Facebook.

Photo: Gassan Shosha
Source

Traditional Day is a wonderful idea. It encouraged students to be proud of their folklore and heritage, as well as seeing it as a symbol of resistance: "you can wear anything related to Palestinian traditional textiles, "tatreez" like clothes, handbags, scarves… etc.".  As you can see from the photos it worked very well.  It's also lovely to see people walking around the university's campus in traditional dress, in the You Tube video.

Photo: Gassan Shosha
Source

We often get contacted by people wanting to put on a Palestinian fashion parade.  We can now direct them to the video above and say:

"look, these students did this perfectly. No-one is wearing anything from before 1948, there's not a single outfit styled in historical Bethlehem costume. They don't need it. They've showing what Palestinian costume is now.  It's a riotous mix of red and black embroidery on "shawal" and "6 Branch" style dresses and triangular shawls (first designed in Palestinian refugee embroidery projects to go with the "shawal"), with flashes of bright colour from Muslim headdresses. Older married women are even wearing the traditional white cotton scarf - see May Jaber, Assistant to the Dean of Students? And everything is worn with love and pride and passion.""

Later after the fashion parade May Jaber (who has some nice dresses - also here) wore the cotton headscarf like a shawl. Also check out Hind Abu-Shkhadim's unusual thob - a shawal style qabbeh and dense embroidery in the skirt sections similar to Sinai bedu styles, with an unusual mix of blue, red and white cross stitch.

Photo: Gassan Shosha
Source

While we can see some traditional patterns like the saru, other patterns like the blue ones look like new interpretions. We also like her sneakers :)

Photo: ?
Source

Anyway, enjoy the photos. There are a few more here.

Photo: Gassan Shosha
Source

A modern blue shawal and on the right, a 6 branch with a shawal style V shaped qabbeh.

Another interesting very heavily decorated thob in unusual colours.

Lovely thob inspired by the pre1948 heremezy technique.

On the left, an embroidered waistcoat, in the middle a shawal style tunic , on the right an embroidered triangular scarf worn as a shawl.

Photo: Gassan Shosha
Source

On the right - Black top worn with embroidered belt.

How's this for stylish - an embroidered triangular shawl worn as a headscarf over jeans and boots (more here)

Source

Al Hannouneh's 5th Festival, Amman

Al Hannouneh society's fifth annual festival,
 which concludes on Thursday, featured song
and dance performances by Jordanian,
Palestinian and Egyptian troupes
(Photo by Dana Al Emam)
Source

Al Hannouneh festival celebrates Jordanian, Palestinian heritage

by Dana Al Emam  Jordan Times Apr 24, 2013 

AMMAN — In celebration of Palestinian and Jordanian heritage and folk songs, Al Hannouneh Society for Popular Culture held its fifth annual festival this week.

The festival is aimed at deepening Al Hannouneh's role in preserving the national heritage by bringing it to life for the younger generation, according to Nimat Saleh, the society's secretary.

The festival, which was supposed to mark Palestinian Land Day on March 30, was postponed due to a delay in Al Hanouneh Troupe's tour in the United States.

"On this day, we renew the need to hold on tightly to our land and heritage," Saleh said.

Land Day marks the anniversary of 1976 demonstration against the Israeli occupation in northern Palestine that ended in violence, resulting in the death of six Palestinian protesters at the hands of Israeli forces.

The festival, which opened earlier this week at the Royal Cultural Centre, featured song and dance performances by Jordanian, Palestinian and Egyptian troupes.

Participants included the Culture Ministry's troupe, the Palestinian band Wallaat, Al Mahabish, Al Aqaba Band and Al Hannouneh Troupe.

The festival also included an exhibition that showcased Palestinian culture such as paintings and traditional dresses.

Al Hannouneh Band concludes the festival on Thursday with a performance at the Palace of Culture at Al Hussein Youth City.

Al Hannouneh society organises a number of events and initiatives that aim at preserving Palestinian heritage and raising awareness on the history and geography of Palestine by broadcasting videos of live tours from the Palestinian territories.

Al Hanouneh's Palestinian fashion show in Amman, June 2012

Published by Nadia Mayen
Al Arabiya with Agencies
Jun 26, 2012

The Palestinian folk dance group Hanouneh held a fashion show in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Saturday showcasing a number of traditional Palestinian dresses.

Hannouneh was formed in 1993 with an aim to promote and preserve the Palestinian folkloric traditions through music and dance.

Models sashayed down the catwalk as traditional music played in the background, displaying a variety of intricate clothing in a number of styles and vibrant colors.

Palestine is known to have a rich variety of traditional dresses, many of which are hand-embroidered. Traditionally, a person's village or town would be recognizable from the style and design of the clothing they wear. However, today many designers and dress makers have altered traditional styles to add a modern flair.

Nemat Saleh, Secretary-General of Hanouneh, said future projects would offer job opportunities for women in the country.

"We chose several dresses that were more than 80 years old and reproduced them. What you saw in the show today were replicas of these dresses," she said.

"We are interested in setting up an embroidery workshop to sustain the practice, not for commercial goals. Our objective is to preserve and protect the memory (of the Palestinian heritage) tied in with the social responsibility of the Hanouneh group, by finding jobs for women," she added.

The project took two years to complete and involved 60 women.

By: Nadia Mayen
Al Arabiya with Agencies

Al Hanouneh's extraordinary "Guardians of the Memory"

Al Hanouneh troupe members dance
 in traditional Palestinian outfits
 in Amman on Saturday evening
(Reuters photo by Muhammad Hamed)

From the Jordan Times, by Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - Arab nationalism and Palestinian folk traditions were set to live music in a performance in the capital on Saturday evening.

In a concert held to express solidarity with the Palestinians, Al Hanouneh folk troupe took to the stage at the Royal Cultural Centre and danced to popular tunes such as “Youya” “Alee Narak”.

Band leader Musa Saleh said the performance titled, "Guardians of the Memory", is part of the group’s mission to preserve the recent and historical memory of Palestine and the greater Arab world.

“We have a duty as a band to protect the collective Palestinian memory. Our memory is part of our identity and Israel is doing its best to tarnish that memory to destroy our identity,” Saleh told The Jordan Times after the concert, which marked the anniversary of the partition of Palestine by the UN General Assembly in 1947.

“We see Israel as trying to rob everything from us, not only the land. They dress air hostesses on their planes with Palestinian attire and claim to have invented falafel among other things. We should not allow them steal our tradition and culture,” he added.

This year’s event featured prominent bands and poets from across the region, including Tawfiq Al Halabi, Rayek Kheir, Shadi Mousa, Najeeb Yuakbi, Ahmad Fahmawi, Flayeh Al Jubour, Sana Mousa, Talal Haidar and Ahmad Fahmawi, among others.

Al Hanouneh was established in 1993 in Amman with the goal of protecting and safeguarding the culture and folklore of the area through the selection and classification of Palestinian folklore.

The group comprises over 80 dancers, musicians and singers.

20 December 2010

More photos:  Photos from Emirates247.com

Balata Film Collective's "Palestinian embroidery under occupation"

 This video was uploaded on YouTube by the Balata Camp Film Collective:

"Film is an important means of both resistance and communication. The Balata Film Collective was initated to enable young Palestinians from Balata to break their isolation, challenge their oppression and and represent their lives to the world. 

"The Balata film production collective films, edits and produces movies in Arabic and English. Until now, the collective has focused on producing shorts which are uploaded to the internet. 

"Please visit http://www.balatacamp.net for further information about balata camp and balata film collective. Please do also visit for further video material on balata camp please visit http://a-films.blogspot.com, the webpage of the anarchist video collective a-films."

We think it's terrific, and look forward to more films :)

PalCast: Podcasting the Occupation of Palestine

We promised on this blog to recommend good ways to keep up to date with Palestinian issues, both political and cultural.

Their website says:

"PalCast.org was born when the founders discovered a distinct lack of quality internet audio programming focused on Palestine-related issues in the iTunes podcast directory. After searching the internet, it became obvious that Palestine-focused audio was hard to find.

"PalCast.org aims to become the center of quality internet audio programming on the internet focused on Palestinian culture, art, politics and the Israeli occupation"

We love that one of their focus categories is Palestinian music, and we really do suggest you have a listen to their podcast of CKUT radio's interview with members of Sabreen (The Sabreen Association for Artistic Development in Palestine) (the word sabreen means "patience") on culture and resistance. The program was produced by Community News Net for CKUT radio on November 18, 2006, during Sabreen's 2006 tour of Canada.

"if you are a Palestinian, you have to do miracles"

Birzeit Heritage Week

Dancing tragedies, dancing dreams

courtesy: El-Funoun website

"Can you dance your tragedies?
Can you dance your dreams?
If you are Palestinian, you almost
have no choice but to try doing both,"

Omar Barghouti 2003

We want to recommend two wonderful albums to you. They are not new, but this blog is, lol, and we've not had a chance to share our music tastes with you before!

They are 'Zaghareed: music from the Palestinian Holy Land' and "Zareef: folkloric tunes from Palestine" by El-Funoun, or more properly El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, based on the West Bank.

El-Funoun in the beginning
courtesy: El-Funoun website

Here at the Archive we have enormous regard for El-Funoun ("the arts" in Arabic). They too travel the world, promoting the beauty of Palestinian cultural heritage. They face similar problems to the Archive. Worse, because they are still in Occupied Palestine and we are in exile. But our mandates are very similar. Janice Steinberg noted in her 2006 article about El-Funoun, in regard to the founding of the company:

“(Former Israeli Prime Minister) Golda Meir boasted that there was no such thing as the Palestinian people,” said Omar Barghouti (the company's trainer and choreographer). “We did not exist in the eyes of the colonizers.” Meir's 1969 statement, published in The Sunday Times of London and The Washington Post, was, “There were no such thing as Palestinians. When was there an independent Palestinian people with a Palestinian state?”

"Although Meir later said she'd been misquoted, the comment was seen as reflecting an attitude held by much of the world. And the handful of artists who founded El-Funoun set out to prove that they indeed had a national identity, giving even their most lighthearted dances a political purpose".

Sounds just like the Archive, doesn't it?! Where for the last twenty years Archive staff have researched lost Palestinian costume and related heritage traditions not only in the Palestinian region but in refugee camps and the scattered communities of the diaspora, El-Funoun (quoted from production notes):

"began with a mission to revive Palestinian music and dance folklore as a manifestation of national identity. Its early works were the result of extensive research in Palestinian villages, preserving centuries-old songs and dances, including the "dabke", a traditional dance form popular among Arabs of the Eastern Mediterranean, using traditional Arab instruments (oud, nai, and tabla)".

courtesy: El-Funoun website

One of the things we really admire, that El-Funoun achieved - to counter Israeli attempts to suppress Palestinian national identity - was the establishment of Palestinian Folklore Day, in 1986. But at times it wasn't easy, as Gia Kourlas reported in her dance review "Palestinian dreaming: resistance and joy" in the New York Times Magazine in 2005:

"In its beginnings, occupation authorities viewed El-Funoun negatively. "We were persecuted in many ways," Mr. Barghouti recalled. "There were travel bans, and some of our members were arrested and accused of belonging to a subversive dance company."

"In the 1980's and early 90's, he said, that view began to shift as the company's reputation grew. "The challenge became, What type of identity do we want?" he said. "We see our dance as a form of civil, cultural resistance to oppression, and that starts with the occupation, but not just that - we are also against social oppression, so in our dances you'll see a lot of issues dealing with women's liberation, equality and democracy."

With the loss of funding post 9/11 and the loss of one of our exhibitions in 2003, here at the Archive we have sometimes felt like giving up. But we 100% agree with Khaled Katamish (Director of El-Funoun) that "Palestinian cultural organizations ... must persevere against hugely unfavourable odds" and support and acknowledge El-Funoun's approach to artistic creativity and activism in via:

• "unwavering commitment to the struggle against the illegal Israeli occupation"
• presenting a "distinctive blend of authenticity with modernity, fostering cultural bridges between cherished tradition and contemporary ambition"
• a "progressive social agenda, especially regarding democracy, women's emancipation and youth rights" and
• "earnest opposition to agit-prop art as well as to artistic works that tend to portray the Palestinians as nothing more than pitiful victims waiting for a savior"

courtesy: El-Funoun website

There are about seventy members of the company, which includes dancers, musicians and administrators, all volunteers (like us!). There's also a youth group ("to counter the marginalization and alienation of Palestinian children and youth through music and dance expression") and members of the company teach in a variety of settings, including refugee camps. What we love is that they teach both tradition and innovation, which for any culture contains the seeds of a future. Omar Barghouti calls it "contemporary Palestinian dance ... inspired by our folk tradition, but not imprisoned in its limited realm".

We shall keep a detailed discussion of their performances for another post, because after all in this post we are supposed to be talking about their music (if you really can't wait, here's a secret - click here or here). But we'd like to share this review, because we know Palestinians out there will understand these words, by Ahmad Qatamish:

"It is an art that raids your soul in its depths, a patently Palestinian spirit, evoking the conscious as well as the spontaneous memories. It is smooth and intense; it impresses, without draining; it attracts, never repels; and, above all, El-Funoun’s art boosts the morale and expels despair, thereby emancipating the soul from the siege of time, and leaving an imprint of hope on it instead.

"How charming this persistence! How can a group made up of volunteers accomplish such a professional art? Perhaps the answer lies in the unique mix of charm and heroism: charm of contemporary innovation and heroism of rooted authenticity"

We hope someday someone will write about the Archive staff like that! Okay, so back to those CDs:

'Zaghareed: music from the Palestinian Holy Land' was recorded at the Popular Art Centre in Ramallah. The musicians include Najah Atiyeh, Safa Tamish, Nidaa Hajali, Ali Awad, Mohammed Yacoub (vocals), Muhsen Subhi (buzuq, oud, percussion), Thafer Al-Tawil (qanun), Abu Steif (mijwiz), Abu Ashraf (shabbabah), Raid Al Kobary (nay) and Mohammad Amin (bass, percussion).

The word zaghareed describes the ululations of joy heard in many parts of the Arab world. Here, these cries are intermingled with instruments (including oud, daf and ney) and voices (male and female soloists and choruses) that draw us irresistibly into the mystery of Palestine, and evoke a centuries-old spiritual landscape of longing, hope, and celebration. The titles of the tracks recall the traditions of the wedding: Tulbah (Proposition), Chiming Bracelets, Farewell To Bachelor Days, Groom's Bath, Henna, Zaffah (Wedding Scene), Adornment Of The Bride all leading to Initiation Of Ecstasy...

'Zaghareed' was a huge success, and is available around the world in major music stores as well as online. This really was a first for a Palestinian CD. Everyone was really hanging out for what El-Funoun might follow it up with ... and when it appeared, it didn't disappoint: "Zareef: folkloric tunes from Palestine", whose production was supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the Swiss Cooperation Office and the Palestinian Cultural Fund.


A "collection of some of the most poignant, revived, Arab/Palestinian folk tunes that have gained popularity in the 27 years since the dance troop began its interpretations of the tunes", the CD features evocative vocals by Sana Mousa, Safa Tamish, Najah Makhlouf, Muhammad Musa, Mansour Barghouti and Muhummad Yaqoub.

The re-arrangement of the folk tunes is by well known musician Tareq an-Nasser (except for one track composed by Suhail Khoury, who in 1989 also did the original music arrangements for several other tracks). He has done a superb job, and the result is a warm and vibrant CD which brilliantly brings alive some of our favorite Palestinian songs. This of course is part of the reason for the project - to revive Palestinian music, which El Funoun then put to great effect as the musical foundation of their youth group's new dance production Raqsit Shamis (Dance of the Sun).

We absolutely agree with the reviewer in This Week in Palestine:

"El-Funoun has always believed that its mission to communicate with other cultures and to affect social and cultural change at home through dance and music relies on a delicate balance between modernity and heritage, contemporariness and roots.

"In Zareef, El-Funoun succeeds in maintaining such a balance, presenting an often ignored aspect of Palestinian identity and adding another important achievement, a new benchmark, to its already luminous record of accomplishments in the realm of developing art as a form of civil resistance against political and social oppression ... Zareef serves a full course of authentic enjoyment to the senses, reasserting Palestine’s culture and inexorable humanity"

Let's hope it gets picked up by Amazon.com, who have been selling 'Zaghareed'. Reviews of the latter were extremely high. Amazon reviewer a music fan fan observes: "this album helps to preserve the culture and history of Palestine and the Palestinians, Christian and Muslim alike. .... May the world become more aware and educated regarding this kind of music and the music and folk dance of the region, and more importantly, the symbolism,emotion, and history that created it", while Yaser Abdelhamid noted:

"I have owned Zaghareed' ... for well over one year, and have allow[ed] its enchanted calls to enter my heart daily. As a Palestinian - American, I have found very little literature, video, and audio on the specific category of things Palestinian. It was like a breath of fresh air blew into my soul as I stumbled upon this excellent production and recording of traditional Palestinian folk music.

"This is the music of the people of Palestine. I have always hoped that someone somewhere would devote much time and energy towards preserving and capturing - on the record - the unique dress, dance, and music of the still traditional people who call themselves Palestinians. This wonderful CD has done just that, and has further satisfied the thirst of this spirit in reclaiming a bit of its Palestinian heritage. Good listening to all who care about preserving the sounds of tradition wherever they may still exist".

Sounds like Yaser might approve of what we do as well! There are not many of us, "preserving and capturing" Palestinian heritage, but we are increasing ... and one day inshallah El-Funoun may perform or play at an Archive exhibition opening...

You can buy 'Zaghareed: music from the Palestinian Holy Land' from Amazon.com, and "Zareef: folkloric tunes from Palestine" from El-Funoun and the Palestine Online Store.

"Cultural expression to us, then, serves dual purposes: self-therapy and expansion of the "free zone" in our collective mind,where progressive transformation can thrive. In response to all the attempts to circumscribe our aspirations, we must push on, dreaming and being creative,boundlessly. Thus we dance..."

Omar Barghouti 2003

(all photos: courtesy: El-Funoon website)