Scotland’s first Pageant of Palestine kicks off with historical past tapestry exhibition – Center East Monitor

The primary Pageant of Palestine in Scotland kicked off yesterday within the capital, Edinburgh, with a exceptional exhibition of the Palestinian History Tapestry as its predominant characteristic.

Organised by Edinburgh Motion for Palestine and the Palestinian group in Scotland, the week-long occasion celebrates the 4,000 yr historical past of Palestine in tapestry, conventional music, ‘dabkeh’ people dance, pictures, movies, talks, in addition to kids’s actions.

“The occasion was created by a real multicultural group who stay collectively in Scotland,” the organisers advised MEMO, saying they had been delighted to be displaying panels of the Palestinian Historical past Tapestry on its tenth anniversary.

Stitched by Palestinian ladies within the occupied Palestinian territories and in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, the tapestry is a big assortment of illustrative panels which inform the story of the land and other people of Palestine via the ages utilizing conventional Palestinian embroidery. Within the ten years because the launch of the undertaking, over 100 panels had been produced depicting Palestinian historical past from the Neolithic Interval to the current day underneath the continuing Israeli army of Palestine.

“Scottish help for Palestine, the Palestinian folks, the Palestinian battle are merely inspiring and empowering,” the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot mentioned as he welcomed visitors in a recorded video message performed on the opening day of the competition.

Zomlot described the Palestinian Historical past Tapestry as a “mind-boggling achievement” which “reveals the great thing about our land, the depth of our tradition, the depth of our historical past and the energy of our attachment to our residence.”

“What an exquisite method to current the Palestinian historical past that dates again to the Neolithic interval; takes within the partitions of Jericho, the Philistine period and every little thing in between via numerous conquests, invasions, imperial ambitions, as much as the 1948 Nakba and our many tragedies since, in addition to a few of our victories,” he mentioned, including:

It blends historical past and politics with one in every of our nationwide artwork varieties, that of tapestry and textile artwork generally.

Amongst attendees of the exhibition had been Ms Joanna Cherry MP and Mr Tommy Sheppard MP, each members of the Scottish Nationwide Get together and long-time supporters of the Palestinian battle.

Delighted to attend the launch of the Palestine Historical past Tapestry exhibition, a part of the Pageant of Palestine at St Columba’s by the Fortress working until sixteenth Oct @PSCupdates @theSNP @SNPFoP pic.twitter.com/zkGxo7QmFV

— Tommy Sheppard MP (@TommySheppard) October 9, 2021

Delighted to attend the launch of the #Palestine Historical past Tapestry exhibition, a part of the Pageant of Palestine at St Columba’s by the Fortress working until sixteenth Oct @theSNP @SNPFoP with @TommySheppard pic.twitter.com/Om1ekXYElc

— Joanna Cherry QC (@joannaccherry) October 9, 2021

“This undertaking has very a lot been a collaboration of affection and solidarity, with folks within the UK and all over the world displaying their best help for the battle in opposition to oppression,” Co-chair of the Palestinian Historical past Tapestry, Jehan Alfarra, mentioned in a video message.

Edinburgh is just not the one British metropolis to have fun Palestinian historical past and tradition this autumn. Oxford, which formally twinned with the occupied West Financial institution metropolis of Ramallah in 2019 and the place the tapestry was first based in 2011 by Jan Chalmers, hosted two exhibitions of the Palestinian Historical past Tapestry final month.

The College of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum first showcased a group of the tapestry’s panels throughout its Oxford Open Days occasion ‘Talking Threads: Palestinian Textiles Day.’

This was adopted by one other exhibition celebrating Palestinian historical past, artwork and embroidery on the Oxford City Corridor, organised by the Oxford-Ramallah Friendship Affiliation (ORFA).

Formally opening the exhibition, Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford Stephen Goddard mentioned he was struck by “the sheer size of the historical past that the tapestry represents” in addition to the “number of its exceptional items of art work”.

“The historical past of Palestine and of the Palestinian folks goes again not lots of however hundreds of years, and the truth that the tapestry is ready to characterize that’s so crucially essential,” he added, explaining that the tapestry not solely reveals historical past however “in some ways it’s historical past.”

“The truth that it’s an ongoing undertaking implies that it’s now a part of the continuing historical past of that a part of the world.”

Addressing the group, he concluded: “If the tapestry has to have a house exterior of Palestine, then Oxford is a really, very apparent place for that place to be.”

Professor Avi Shlaim, who’s a patron of each the Palestinian Historical past Tapestry and ORFA, mentioned each organisations have particular missions, however “underlying that there’s a dedication to justice for the Palestinians and what brings all of us collectively right here is that this similar dedication to justice to the Palestinians.”

The exhibition in Edinburgh runs between 9-16 October and is open for visits FREE between 11:00-16:00 at St Columba’s by-the-Fortress Episcopal Church.