Palestine Trauma Centre fundraiser: Music to ‘Create Joy Amongst the Debris’ October 1st

Tickets should be booked in advance by e-mailing brentfop@gmail.com

Brent Friends of Palestine continue to raise funds for an imaginative play project run by the Palestine Trauma Centre.  The opportunity to do something positive for children in Gaza has captured our imagination.

Children's story teller.  The banner shows Brent Friends of Palestine amongst the sponsors

 Life in Gaza continues to be extremely grim for the population.  Rebuilding of houses, schools and work places destroyed in the attacks on Gaza in 2008, 2012 and 2014, has not occurred. Promised aid has not been delivered.  Israel controls all the crossing points and prohibits imports of key building materials and equipment.  Electricity and water infrastructure has been badly damaged and supplies are increasingly scarce.  There is no movement of people between the Palestinian West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  Food production is very limited.

The UN Secretary-General has found that the blockade and related restrictions contravene international humanitarian law as they target and impose hardship on the civilian population, effectively penalizing them for acts they have not committed. All this has considerable impact on the long term physical and mental well- being of children in Gaza and the West Bank.

Two major international events this summer have highlighted obstacles faced by Palestinians wanting to travel outside Gaza. This year a team of 6 athletes went to the Rio Olympics despite the enormous difficulties of training in Palestine. For example, Mary Al-Atrash, a swimmer has had to train in a half sized pool despite there being several Olympic sized pools in Israel. The head of the Palestinian team, Issam Qishta, was not given a permit to leave Gaza and so the team had to leave without their leader. Also those who went had to buy their kit once they reached Brazil.

In July the 80 strong Palestinian Youth Orchestra toured Britain giving concerts in several British cities including London.  Again, two members of the orchestra living in Gaza were not allowed to leave.

The Palestine Trauma Centre provides therapeutic support to families and children whose lives have been devastated by the bombings and the harshness of life in Gaza.  It was founded by a clinical psychologist from Gaza.

The Centre aims to do both reparative and preventative work with children and families. One aspect of this work is the Fridays of Joy sessions when teams of play workers, story tellers, clowns and play therapists visit villages and refugee camps in Gaza and run imaginative sessions which involve hundreds of children, giving them some fun, which is, in itself, therapeutic, and on a regular basis can have a long term benefits for the children. One of their slogans is ‘Create Joy Amongst the Debris.

Brent Friends of Palestine are holding a fund raising concert in Central London on Saturday October 1^st with singer-songwriters Frankie Armstrong, Janet Russell, Leon Rosselson, Palestinian oud player and singer Nizza al-Issa and professional violinist Simon Hewitt Jones. Simon travels to Palestine to work with young violinists in Ramallah. The MC will be Ian Saville, socialist conjuror, just returned from the Edinburgh Festival.


More information can be found at Brent Friends of Palestine on Facebook

Magic, music and marvellous food at Willesden Green fundraising garden party

From Brent Stop the War and Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign

FUNDRAISING GARDEN PARTY SUNDAY 10TH JULY

From 4pm to 9.30pm

https://www.facebook.com/BrentStoptheWar  http://brentpsc.blogspot.co.uk/

Supporters are invited to our fundraising party in a beautiful Willesden Garden. Ticket price includes all entertainment and a deliciously varied buffet with plenty of vegetarian options as well as meat, fish, salads and desserts.

Performers include:

MC and Socialist Magician Ian Saville www.redmagic.co.uk

From the Lyrical to the Satirical with singer-songwriter Leon Rosselson www.leonrosselson.co.uk

Soula Ensemble performing Arabic music of many kinds:

Muwashah from the Arabic-Andalusian tradition, modern songs (Fairouz, Marcel Khalife) and Palestinian songs https://m.facebook.com/SoulaEnsemble/

Drinks, raffle and stall with Palestinian goods extra

TICKETS

From:

Brent Stop the War email brentstopthewar@gmail.com or ring Sarah on 07951 084 101

Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign email brent2harrowpsc@outlook.com or ring Martin on 0208 908 3913

OR BUY TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE HERE


Where?

A beautiful garden in Willesden Green - Address will be disclosed on payment, London, NW2
Contact Martin on mafran@globalnet.co.uk if you would like to help organise the event, provide some home cooked food or help on the day.

More from Brent and Harrow PSC  www.brentpsc.blogspot.co.uk

Preston Campaign celebrates National Libraries Day in style

My next and last stop was the old Preston Library closed by Brent Council and currently used as an annex for Preston Park Primary School. Once surrounded by similar hoardings to those erected at Kensal Rise the building was in use again to celebrate National Libraries Day. The Save Preston Library Campaign has been particularly imaginative in its campaigning and the range of events it organises from pub quizzes to literary celebrations. As well as using the Old Library building as a Community Hub they operate a Community Library on Preston Road,

New building is to take place on the school's main site to enable the school to expand and the school will vacate the annex.. As it still belongs to the Brent Council there are hopes that it could revert to its previous use.

Musician and writer Leon Rosselson took children on a 'Bear Hunt' before reading from his own books

 

Reading aloud to the audience

Book making

Finishing with a song

My visits to all three library campaigns, Kensal Rise, Barham and Preston, was a humbling experience. One cannot but be impressed by the resilience of Brent residents and their resistance to losing their cherished services.

I wish them all success in their campaigns as we approach the local elections.