Palestinian Nakba remembered

By Ghia Osseiran ---

In memory of the Nakba that marked the creation of the state of Israel 53 years ago, the Palestinian Cultural Club hosted a series of events that included an exhibition, Elders' Day, the second Palestinian football championship, and Child's Day. The exhibition, on display throughout last week, portrayed through its design Jerusalem's old souks and alleys. It revived Palestinian traditions and culture through the art of henna, the display of Palestinian handicrafts and the aadeh al arabiyah. Elders from Palestinian refugee camps visited the exhibition's dar on Elders' day, narrating anecdotes about the political and social life in Palestine. They then told the story of their exile. Child's Day portrayed some of the consequences of the Nakba. Approximately 115 children between the ages of six and ten from the Bourj el Barajneh, Shatila and Mar Elias refugee camps visited AUB's indoor basketball courts on Sunday. Members of the club divided the children into groups in which they sang patriotic songs, ate, and played games. Before returning to the camps, each child was presented with a gift. Farah, a nine-year-old Palestinian child from the Shatila refugee camp, enjoyed Child's Day: "It is nicer than camp." Farah does not want to get married when she grows up. She aspires to become a doctor instead. On the other hand, Jalal, Farah's seven-year-old brother, when he grows up, wants to go to Palestine and fight the Israelis. Child's Day was meant to remind the Palestinian refugees living in camps "that we have not deserted them," said Tarek Musa, the club's president. "We are the same people; there are no differences between us," he continued. Child's Day provided a means of entertainment for the children not present in their camps. "Most of the kids don't go out on Sunday, but they went out today and had a very good time," said Jamal, one of the teachers accompanying the children, from the Baraim al Mustaabal institution The series of events the Cultural Club held for the past week were meant to represent the stages the Palestinian people lived in before and after the Nakba, explained the club's president.