{"id":7246,"date":"2022-02-21T09:40:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T07:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/?p=7246"},"modified":"2022-12-17T11:03:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T09:03:57","slug":"nazareths-liwan-features-palestinian-singer-haya-zaatry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/nazareths-liwan-features-palestinian-singer-haya-zaatry\/","title":{"rendered":"Nazareth’s Liwan Features Palestinian Singer Haya Zaatry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A live outdoor concert at Liwan<\/a> in Nazareth (photo courtesy Yolanda Jubran).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Melissa Chemam<\/h4>\n

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The other day I was invited by the Bristol Palestinian Film Festival<\/a> to see\u00a0a short series of films, including Liwan<\/em>, a documentary directed by Doris Hakim, and co-produced with Adam Newby, taking place in Nazareth \u2014 the largest and most populated Palestinian city in Israel.<\/p>\n

It is, for a change, a very uplifting Palestinian story, following the co-founders of the caf\u00e9, including Sally Azzam, who lives part of the year in Bristol and was present for a Q&A, and Sami Jabali, and Silke Wanner, who is originally from Germany.<\/p>\n

Beginning in 2016, the founders of Liwan faced discouragement and even physical threats, but they kept trying and finally opened their place in the old city of Nazareth. For several years now, Liwan has hosted events such as book readings, lectures, concerts, games, craft sales…And literally brought back to life a neighborhood that for decades was considered as decaying and labeled by the Israeli police as dangerous.<\/p>\n

Soon, the caf\u00e9 contributed as well to a revival of the whole local souq, with a few other shops opening recently, inspired by their resilience.<\/p>\n

The film tells this story very movingly.<\/p>\n