An artisan shows some of the handicraft in her stall at the traditional market at Palestine Cultural Festival.
The ten-day Palestine Cultural Festival recently held at the Katara Cultural Village had raised awareness on the rich Palestinian culture and heritage through a splendid showcase of its various facets.
Visitors from various nationalities savoured a slice of Palestinian culture at the festival which marked a big celebration for the Palestinian community through a remarkable display of dance, poetry, music, arts and crafts and cuisine.
The festival introduced audiences to Palestinian “Zajal,” which is a unique form of poetry, and the popular Palestinian ‘Dabke” folkloric dance as well as an operetta which entertained crowds who thronged in large numbers.
A puppet show for children depicting the Palestinian cause brought attention to the struggles of the Palestinian people.
Apart from the shows and performances, a major attraction at the festival was the traditional Palestinian market displaying different native handicraft and offering authentic Palestinian cuisine.
With products coming from different towns and villages in Palestine, the 42 stalls set up at the festival provided a great opportunity for visitors to get to know the authentic culture of the Palestinians through their handmade products.
The stalls offered traditional Palestinian costumes, handicraft, food and local products brought in all the way from Palestine and made by Palestinian artisans who inherited their professions from ancestors keen on preserving them.
Throughout the festival days, authentic Palestinian cuisine was available in some of the stalls such as the Falafel and the famous Palestinian dessert Kunafa in all its kinds made from fresh ingredients from Palestine. At some of the stalls, visitors sampled freshly baked date biscuits usually prepared on special occasions according to Palestinian culture and traditions.
Speciality products of Palestinian cities such as the traditional soap of Nablus was also on sale and in addition a traditional soap making demonstration by a group of Palestinian women was also held in one of the stalls.
The festival culminated with a celebration of “Jerusalem Day’ highlighted by musical performances among other activities.
Organised under the theme “Palestine in Qatar” the festival witnessed attendance of members of the diplomatic community and other dignitaries as well as a large number of visitors from the Palestinian community in Qatar and members of other communities.
This was not the first time Palestinian culture was featured in a Katara event. Several years back, a Palestinian Heritage Week was organised featuring an exhibition of Palestinian crafts, pottery and copper masterpieces, ornaments and furniture, as well as folkloric performances in addition to lectures and workshops on Palestinian art and heritage.
Works by Palestinian artists have also decorated the walls of Katara’s galleries in a number of art exhibitions organised in the past years.
