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Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

My Country, My Heritage.

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Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

Birzeit heritage week - Palestine

My Country, My Heritage.

My Country, My Heritage.

My Country, My Heritage.

My Country, My Heritage.

Rozana Association
Rozana Association
Rozana Association
Rozana Association
2 Campaigns |
Ramallah, Palestine, State of
$2,500 USD 7 backers
3% of $80,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

Rozana Association for the Development of Architectural heritage is a Palestinian registered not for profit organization, based in Birzeit's old Town that aims to network, consolidate, develop and promote all available cultural, architectural and heritage resources in rural areas of the West Bank to instill a process of development based on advancing rural areas competitive advantage as a potential domestic and international tourist destinations with positive negative impact.

Our campaign intends to raise funds to conduct Birzeit 8th Heritage week that aims to advance Palestinian cultural heritage and identity. The heritage week has become an annual icon in Palestine’s summer cultural activities as it provides a sustainable model about the importance of historic areas in rural Palestine, which upon rehabilitation, can be employed for a sundry of cultural, income generation and job creation activities that foster new-fangled functions for the old houses, attics and architectural spaces. The heritage week promotes a unique diverse experience tailored to valorize the Palestinian national cultural identity and to disseminate concepts and ideas of development among rural communities

Every year the heritage week involves hundreds of young local men and women in the organization as well as in designing and implementation of its different activities, hence, ensuring gender equal opportunities for participation and subsequently accumulation of leadership skills indispensable to generate capacities in the fields of art, culture, economy and event organization.

The heritage week remains a platform that seeks to develop opportunities for exchange with world cultures, expanding, diversifying participation and completing the cultural mosaic. It creates a first-hand encounter with the local community breaking the isolation matrix of control of 47 years of Israeli occupation.

Needless to say, the heritage week has been instrumental in promoting local Palestinian music, theatre and art productions as it has given a priority for limelight.

With kind financial support of contributors, Rozana Association will be able to protect and promote the available and potential Palestinian cultural heritage and intercultural gender-aware dialogue locally, regionally, and internationally consolidating social cohesion within Palestine and cultural exchange with the rest of the world

Rozana Association is in need of 80’000 USD to conduct Birzeit 8th Heritage week. Funds will be used to establish the heritage week administrative team from young men and women mostly from Birzeit town and surrounding villages in cooperation with partner rural CBOs. The administrative committee will monitor and oversee the work of 10 specialized committees who will manage the daily needs of young volunteers (food and beverages), of exhibitions to be displayed, cultural/Folkloric and Artistic events to be conducted, infrastructure and minor rehabilitation works to install the booths, the theaters…etc., the media and promotional materials needed as well as the Souq exhibitions and cinema corner needs. All the expenses will be managed by the Book keeping/finance committee who ensures transparent financial processes and reporting.

The best way to understand a culture is to see its art so you can understand it far better than a language you cannot speak. Imagine how Birzeit Heritage Week will provide a first-hand encounter with an actual Palestinian traditional Wedding and Zaffa that will roam through the Souq full of cultural and handcrafts booths not only of Palestinian culture but also of other nations who come to exhibit their own cultural heritage and goods.

During Birzeit heritage week, every visitor will be able to meet and mingle among Palestinian families and international expat communities who are distributed along several cultural corners watching live how pottery or glass is being made, how carpets are being knit, or to watch a Palestinian dabkeh or music show, or a cultural film at the cinema corner.

Birzeit heritage week is a place for every member of the family, no matter what is his/her age, to find something to enjoy in the midst of a Town that become glowing with cultural activities.

Crafts people at some corners, food making at other corners, children cultural activities at another and cultural booths and arts exhibitions extending along the different allies and spaces of the historic area of Birzeit town.

Attending the Countryside Flower competition is another icon of the Heritage Week, where every Palestinian village sends its young women representatives, dressed in their village traditional dress, to compete on best knowledge of Palestinian culture including traditional music, dance, crafts…etc.

Five summers nights in the beautiful outskirt of rural West Bank (north of Ramallah and Bireh cities) will give a memorable tourist interaction for each of the 40’000 visitors that reach Birzeit heritage week annually.

In case Birzeit Heritage 8th Week does not receive the complete funds needed to conduct it, available funds will be used to build capacities of rural women and youth in 2 rural villages in the West Bank including tourist hospitality skills of 25 women with at least 15 homestays both theoretically and practically, train 25 youth as community guides armed with Community Based Tourism principles and interpretation methods to build community touristic programs and extend network for alternative tourism between the two municipalities/local village councils along Masar Ibrahim and Sufi Trails as explored by Rozana Association

Birzeit Heritage Week devises its uniqueness from a variety of elements. First it employs the rehabilitated old houses and attics in the historic area of Birzeit as a platform for the cultural and cultural heritage activities adding a special ambience that is intertwined with the flagged stones of the Mamluk and Ottoman era houses and attics. This exposes the efforts of protecting the architectural heritage. Secondly, it offers an unmatched diversity of cultural life compacted in one event. Thirdly, it connects and encourages cultural exchange with the international community through the international “Hosh” providing the space for keen countries to commission exchange with the Palestinian local community. Fourth, it promotes the Palestinian cultural identity, creating awareness both locally and internationally. The peak ventures are the role and involvement of the local communities that are considered a key factor in the development process as well as the international exhibitions to strengthen partnerships within the region and worldwide.

The participation of youth, women and the community at large will increase public awareness about the cultural, environmental, historical process, and the potential values and benefits it may produce to galvanize and encourage local production through enhancing traditional customs, food, native dances and ancient handicrafts. The overarching aim is to engage the local communities in a dynamic process, drawing their attention to planning and protection requirements to safeguard the outstanding universal values of indigenous cultural heritage.

During the past 7 Birzeit Heritage Weeks, more than 200’000 people visited the different activities of the heritage weeks giving high exposure and pride to Birzeit community and surrounding villages. Local Palestinian rural population gained revenue at both local and national levels where the sale of their cultural products, traditional food entangled with traditional fashion revealed various integral aspects of Palestinian social identity and instilled life in the alleys and streets of Palestinian marginalized rural areas. Moreover, local rural producers exhibited their production and gained financially as well as management wise from these experiences. The foremost gains were the familiarization of young volunteers with the terminology and procedures of heritage week including the preparation, planning and execution of the events. Women organizations got the required exposure to network locally and regionally to market their products not forgetting the exposure of local and traditional artifacts and products that were enhanced. Palestinian folkloric, music, dance and theater productions were promoted including catering for Children artistic and recreational needs. Exchange with regional and international cultures were highly fostered.

At Birzeit 8th heritage Week, Rozana Association and its local partner CBOs and authorities promise you an unforgettable cultural experience for 5 nights under the summer sky of Palestine where we all take pride in our heritage culture and its exchange for a better word that respects our histories, cultures and traditions.

Birzeit Heritage week is part of a process to reconcile with a broken history; every society heritage constitutes a fundamental factor in plumbing historical and cultural depths whilst it expresses identity and interacts with the social, political and environmental reality.

The major challenge for Birzeit Heritage Week remains the availability of the funds that are necessary to build and then promote the different cultural corners and booths. However, Rozana Association had gained high trust among the national private sector as well among international donor agencies that will hopefully contribute to covering some financial needs.

Rozana Association with its high trust in the local community due to its community-based approaches, several rural communities are to contribute to safeguard the needed activities and participations. People of the world who believe in culture as a tool for positive change in each developed region, impacting positively the lives of marginalized rural communities, mainly women and youth, will extend us a helping hand to achieve our goals in this endeavor. 



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