Join us on the March 2013 Freedom Ride
The people of the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills invite you to join them in their struggle against the colonial conquest of traditional lands.
Over a period of 13 days, students, artists and activists from across Palestine and abroad will join Palestinian farmers and shepherds at risk of forced expulsion from a homeland they have inhabited for generations. In particular the March Freedom Ride will include building and reconstruction work, protective presence activity, guided walks, home-stays, interactive workshops, educational talks and cultural events. Through Playback Theatre, residents of the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills will also share personal accounts about the realities of life and struggle under settler colonialism, military occupation and state-sanctioned apartheid.
ITINERARY
17 March:
Orientation at The Freedom Theatre, Jenin.
18 – 21 March:
Solidarity stay in the Jordan Valley. The stay will include building and reconstruction work, protective presence activity, guided walks, home-stays, discussion groups and cultural events.
22 March:
Walk for Water Justice in the Jordan Valley. The program will include interactive workshops, talks and an evening concert.
23 March:
Rest day
24 March:
Guided walk in Battir
25 – 28 March:
Solidarity stay in the South Hebron Hills. The stay will include building and reconstruction work, protective presence activity, guided walks, discussion groups, Playback Theatre performances, live music, dubke and other cultural events.
29 March
Solidarity Walk in South Hebron Hills.
COST
International participants are requested to contribute 35 USD per day to cover food, transport, infrastructure and production costs.
RSVP
Please email freedombus@thefreedomtheatre.org by February 15th to confirm your participation in the Ride.
CONTACT
Email: freedombus@thefreedomtheatre.org
Ph: +972(0)592-902256
Ph: +972(0)544-930542
March Freedom Ride in Area C: http://www.facebook.com/
ORGANIZERS
The Freedom Theatre (www.thefreedomtheatre.org) in partnership with Jordan Valley Solidarity (www.jordanvalleysolidarity
THE FREEDOM BUS
The Freedom Bus, an initiative of The Freedom Theatre, uses interactive theatre and cultural activism to bear witness, raise awareness and build alliances throughout occupied Palestine and beyond. Endorsers of the Freedom Bus include Alice Walker, Angela Davis, John Berger, Judith Butler, Luisa Morgantini, Maya Angelou, Mairead Maguire, Mazin Qumsiyeh, Noam Chomsky, Omar Barghouti, Peter Brook and Ramy Essam. Endorsers also include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), Students for Justice in Palestine, Highlander Research and Education Centre, Janasanskriti and Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed (PTO). A range of other Palestinian and International artists, activists, academics and organizations have endorsed the Freedom Bus.
Email: freedombus@thefreedomtheat
Blog: http://
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/
PLAYBACK THEATRE
Audience members share autobiographical accounts and watch as a team of actors and musicians instantly transform these accounts into improvised theatre pieces. Playback Theatre provides opportunity for education, advocacy and community building.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE JORDAN VALLEY AND SOUTH HEBRON HILLS
Under the Oslo II Accord of 1995, the West Bank was divided into 3 administrative regions know as Area A, B and C. Area C includes 61% of the West Bank and falls under complete Israeli civil and military control.
International law prohibits land appropriation, resource exploitation and population transfer by an occupying power. However since the 1970’s, Israel has confiscated the vast majority of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills (both of which are currently located in Area C.) In the Jordan Valley for example, 50% of land has been illegally taken for the exclusive use of 36 settlements and their agriculture. A further 45% of land has been taken for military bases, ‘closed military zones’, and so-called ‘nature reserves.’ In addition, life for Palestinian residents of the South Hebron Hills and Jordan Valley is characterized by home demolitions, confiscation of livestock, restricted access to farming land and daily harassment from settlers and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Most communities lack basic services including schools, clinics, electricity, telephone lines, running-water, or a sewage system and infrastructure built to meet these needs is frequently demolished under orders issued by the Israeli Civil Administration. Despite these egregious human rights violations, Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills have exerted their right to exist and survive on their traditional lands.
FURTHER RESOURCES
• The Last Shepherds of the Valley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHcFqNICoJM
• Jordan Valley Solidarity: http://
• Al Mufaqarah R-Exist: http://
