Music workshop leader training (February 2010)

Foto report of the music trainings in Bethlehem and Jenin

Training February

During the last week of February, Otto de Jong and Marijke Smedema came to Palestine to give music workshops in different places:

JENIN: Otto de Jong from MwB gave a one-day training to 17 music teachers and musicians in Jenin, in the "Jenin Creative Cultural Center", organised by Yousef Awad, director of the center. During the break, the participants from the North of Palestine played and sang beautiful Arabic music for the Dutch trainers, who were very impressed by their sounds. We hope we can continue in Jenin to exchange more ideas and music!

SILWAN: Otto de Jong from MwB gave a workshop in Silwan, in "Madaa Silwan Creative Center". The workshop focused on how to use music when you are working with groups of children. The group was a mixed group, with musicians and non-musicians, from Silwan, Beit Safafa and the North. All the participants are active in the Silwan community and they will apply the MwB skills on their work with the children.

BETHLEHEM 1: Otto de Jong and Marijke Smedema from MwB gave two workshops for the trainees that started more than one year ago in al-Azzeh camp, Handele Center. The trainees come from Aida camp, al-Azzeh camp and Dheisheh camp. The trainees showed each other their new developed material and learned new songs and dances from the trainers. After one of the workshops, they gave a performance on the guitar, 'ud and keyboard, guided by their talented music teacher Murad Naseem.

BETHLEHEM 2: Otto de Jong and Marijke Smedema from MwB gave a week long training to a new group of women from the Bethlehem area. The training was held in al-Awda Center, al-Azzeh camp and was coordinated by Ahmad al-Azzeh, director at the al-Awda Center and the non-violence program director at Holy Land Trust.
The participants come from Dheisheh camp, al-Azzeh camp, Aida camp and the village of Battir. The participants are working with children in different fields, such as theater, school, summer camp and kindergarten. During the training, they learned new skills to use during their work with the children and they exchanged ideas with each other and the trainers.

New music training for women!

At the end of February we will start with a new Music Workshop Leader Training for women in Bethlehem.

Info about the training you can find at: (only available in arabic)

http://www.musicianswithoutborders.nl/InvitationTrainingWomenArabic.pdf
http://www.musicianswithoutborders.nl/p_palestine_downloads.htm

اغنية جديدة

اليوم قام محمد من مخيم الدهيشة بغناء أغنية جديدة مع الأطفال. لقد كتب كلماتها لوحده وقد أعجبتني!

ليش الكل بدو ايانا نسكت
ليش الكل بوطي في الصوت
يلا كلنا نغني و نرقص
يلا كلنا نرسم الحياة

بعد الغناء مع الأطفال، ناقش محمد معاني كلمات الأغنية ومدى ارتباطها بحياة الأطفال.
لقد كانت ورشة عمل ملهمة وجميلة جداً.

شكراً لك محمد

New Song by Mohammad

Today Mohammad from Dheisheh Camp sang a new song with the children. He wrote the text himself and I love it!
This is a free translation from Arabic to English:

Why does everybody wants us to be silent
Why does everybody lowers his/her voice
Come on, let's sing and dance
Come on, let's paint our lives

After singing it with the children, he discussed the meaning of the words and how they are connected with the lives of the children.
It was a very inspiring and beautiful workshop.
Thank you Mohammad!

Musicians without Borders in Bosnia Herzegovina

Worskhop from our colleagues from Srebrenica (Bosnia Herzegovina)

Workshops in SOS Children Village and Jordan

ورّش عمل في قرية SOS للأطفال
تطوًّعت أنا وزملائي لمدة يوم في تقديم ورش عمل لـ 20 طفل يتيم في قرية SOS للأطفال. قمنا بعمل أنشطة كثيرة مع أطفال تتراوح أعمارهم ما بين 8-14 عام. و قد رأينا الفرحة على وجوه الأطفال. كانوا مسرورين واستمتعوا بالاعمال و الانشطة التي قدمناها لهم. نأمل أن نستمر بما نقوم به في مناطق أخرى, في وطننا, أو حتى في الأردن.

ورّش عمل في الأردن, حزيران.
في حزيران, قام كل من ميرنا ( مخيم عزة) وفادي ( مخيم عايدة) باعطاء حلقات موسيقى في مخيمات اللاجئين الفلسطينيين والعراقيين في الأردن, ومصر, وسوريا.
إليكم تجربة فادي:

"ذهبت مع زملائي إلى الاردن ، و قد زرنا عدة مناطق ، و منها مدرسة اللاتين في الفحيص، الذين كانوا لطفاء جدا حيث سمحوا لنا باستعمال قاعتهم لحلقات الموسيقى مع اللاجئين العراقيين. كما قمنا بأنشطة كثيرة جدا ، و قد ارتسمت الفرحة على وجوه الأطفال من شدة الاعجاب بما كنا نقدمه.
كما زرنا الأطفال العراقيين المصابين بصدمات في ماركا والمركز الثقافي لأطفال بلا حدود, حيث عملنا معهم عدة أنشطة من لعب وغناء ورقص. أتمنى على كل من يقرأ هذه الرسالة أن يفكر جديا بقضاء يوم مع هؤلاء الأطفال, والذهاب للتطوع هناك, ومحاولة تعليم و تسلية هؤلاء الأطفال. فهم يعانون من مشاكل صحية و اضطرابات كثيرة. وهم فعلا يحتاجون مساندتكم فلن تعرفوا ما أهمية هذا النشاط حتى تجربوا بانفسكم. فهيا نعمل جميعا من أجل أجيال المستقبل.
و هنا أود أن أتقدم بالشكر الجزيل للمؤسسة التي تدعمنا بكل الوسائل, شكرا لـ موسيقيون بلا حدود!".

Workshop in SOS Children Village
My colleagues and I volunteered for a day in SOS Children Village to give a workshop to 20 orphans. We did many activities with the children whose ages were between 8-14 years old. We saw the happiness on the kids faces. They had pleasure and enjoyed all work we did with them. We hope we continue doing what we do in different places in our homeland or even in Jordan.

Workshops in Jordan, June
In June, Merna (al-Azzeh camp) and Fadi (Aida camp) gave music workshops in Jordan for Palestinian and Iraqi refugees and disadvantaged children from Jordan, Egypt and Syria.
Here you can read Fadi's story:

“My friends and I went to Jordan, and we visited many places, one of them is the Latin patriarchate school in Fuheiss, who was so kind to let us use their hall for a music workshop with Iraqi refugees. We did many activities, and the kids were smiling the whole day out of joy and happiness.
We visited traumatized Iraqi children in Marka and the community center of Children without Borders, where we played, sang and danced with them. I hope that everyone who is reading this would consider spending a day with these kids, and to go and volunteer there, try to teach them and entertain them. These kids have several health problems and they truly need our support. You will only know what it means when you try it yourself.
Let us work together for the future generations.
Finally, I would like to thank the organization who is supporting us in all means, thanks Musicians without Borders!”

Fadi, Aida Camp