By the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association
CADFA are bringing a group of 15 Palestinian visitors from the West Bank and Jerusalem to the UK in the middle of February. CADFA has run dozens of visits from Palestine in the past twenty years, but this is a really special chance to reflect on CADFA’s work and next steps. The visitors include men, women, young adults and older people – mainly people who have been involved in CADFA’s projects over the years.
A visit from any part of the world would be special, with massive opportunities for learning and cultural exchange, but a visit of this sort from Palestine is almost one of a kind. Much of what they will do will be ordinary–talking, cooking, making, listening to music, visiting places, walking round towns, taking photographs. But every step will lead the people with them to ask why human rights are allowed for some in the world and not for others and why is the background to the visitors’ normal lives so constrained, oppressed and faced with violence?
Our visitors are from the West Bank and Jerusalem, not from Gaza, but they have suffered from apartheid for the whole of their lives, and the violence and pressure from the Israeli army and settlers have risen dramatically in those parts of Palestine since October 2023. Encouraged by our Palestinian friends, CADFA is continuing with creative projects of public education that look particularly at human rights and equality.
The visitors are
• Abdalkareem – Dean’s assistant from Al Quds University, Abu Dis
• Abed – CADFA’s co-ordinator in Palestine
• Ahmed – a teacher from a village in Jenin district
• Alaa – a human rights worker from Hebron
• Amjad – head of a community centre in New Askar Rafugee Camp in Nablus
• Fadwa – retired professor of gender studies from Al Quds University, Abu Dis
• Khader – the mayor of Al Walajeh village in Bethlehem
• Manar and Ahd – youth workers from Al Walajeh
• Sameh – a teacher from a village in Nablus district
• Sara – works in a women’s centre in Silwan, Jerusalem
• Seham – a youth worker from New Askar Refugee Camp in Nablus
•Suhair – a social worker from a village in Tulkarem, works in Nablus
•Tamara –works with women and young people in Silwan, Jerusalem
• Tareq – a lab technician from An Najah University, Nablus.
Some of the visitors have worked on CADFA’s Beyond the Checkpoints project that takes children from different West Bank and Jerusalem communities to meet each other and look at their different lives. Others have led CADFA’s women’s or youth visits to Britain – recently part of the Building Hope | Voices from Palestine project. All want to work together and with friends in the UK to develop this creative work and spread the movement for human rights for Palestinians at this really difficult time.
The highlight of the visit will be a conference in Birmingham on 22nd February called Building Hope | Voices from Palestine. The conference will look at ways of spreading awareness of what is happening in Palestine and encouraging people to be active for human rights in particular through grassroots twinning with Palestine and visits like this one that reach out to community organisations and to hundreds of people across Britain.
The visitors will be based in Camden for the first three days and then go in twos and threes to different parts of the country where people have been making links with Palestine. Some will stay in Camden, where we have had a link to Abu Dis for over twenty years. After the Birmingham conference, the other visitors will return to Camden for the last three days.
During the time, there will be meetings with a number of groups and organisations in Camden and Islington and many opportunities to meet the visitors and exchange experiences. There will a number of public events locally:
• A welcome meal at Café Palestina on Sunday 16thFebruary
• A public meeting with tea and cakes at Calthorpe Community Garden on Wednesday19thFebruary
• A talk at Union Chapel on Wednesday evening 19thFebruary
• An event focusing on Women of Palestine at Islington Town Hall on Thursday evening 20th February
• A making afternoon (sewing and painting, again with tea and cake) at Café Palestina on Friday afternoon 21st February
•A final event with music, food and short talks in Holy Cross Church on Monday 24th February. There is more information about the project and how to join the events on the websiteCADFA.org
Meet the Palestinian visitors! Public events during the February visit
Sunday 16th Feb Camden Café Palestina NW5 1AD: Meal with our Palestinian visitors 6pm Book on Eventbrite
Monday 17th Feb Birmingham Brig Cafe, Warehouse, 54-57 Allison St, B5 5TH: Building Hope and Hearing Voices, Open meeting with guests from Palestine, 6.30
Monday 17th Feb Hackney St Mary’s Church N16: Voices from Palestine 7.30 – 9.30 pm Book via Eventbrite.
Monday 17th Feb Tower Hamlets Women’s Inclusive Team Hub, Mayfield House, E2 9LJ 6-6pm Book your free ticket here
Tuesday 18th Feb Sheffield Central United Reform Church 7pm. For the time being, write to contact@cadfa.org
Tuesday 18th Feb Nelson Pendle Unity Hall, 79 Vernon St, Nelson BB9 9DE: ‘Women of Palestine’ No booking, just turn up!
Wednesday 19th Feb Newham Old Spotted Dog Ground Upton Lane E7 9NP: Building Solidarity from East London to Palestine 7pm No booking, just turn up!
Wednesday 19th Feb Bedford Queen’s Park Community Centre, TIME 52 Marlborough Road, Bedford, MK40 4LG 7.30
Wednesday 19th Feb Camden Calthorpe Community Garden 258-274 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8LH: Afternoon with our Palestinian visitors 2-4pm No booking, just turn up!
Wednesday 19th Feb Islington Union Chapel 19b Compton Terrace. London N1 2UN 7pm: Public meeting with Palestinian speakers No booking, just turn up!
Wednesday 19th Feb Burnley Public meeting. For the time being write for more info to contact@cadfa.org
Thursday 20th Feb Islington Islington Town Hall: Women of Palestine – meet the visitors, food and music 7pm Book on Eventbrite
Thursday 20th Feb Hebden Bridge public meeting – for the time being write to contact@cadfa.org for more info
Thursday 20th Feb, Birmingham Urban Village Hall, 228 Mary St, Balsall Heath,B12 9RJ: Building Hope and Hearing Voices from Ramallah West Bank to Birmingham West Midlands 7pm No booking, just turn up!
Friday 21st Feb Hackney Frampton Park Community Centre: Cultural evening with Dabke, embroidery and possibly mosaic making 5.30 to 7.30 Eventbrite link to follow
Friday 21st Feb Camden Café Palestina NW5 1AD: Women’s making afternoon – posters, stitching, tea and cake 2-4pm Book on Eventbrite
Friday 21st Feb Redbridge QIS Masjid, 62-22 Upton Lane, E7 9LN – first floor hall – Drop in (men only)
Saturday 22nd Feb Birmingham Carrs Lane Church: Building Hope Conference, speakers, workshops, Palestinian food and stalls, discuss linking work and 10am-4pm Book on Eventbrite
Sunday 23rd Feb Knighton, Powys, Community Centre, 2-5: A Palestinian Afternoon in Wales Food, film, dabkeh, discussion. No booking, just turn up!
Monday 24th Feb, Camden, Holy Cross Church Cromer St WC1H 8JU, 7-9pm: Final event from the Building Hope | Voices for Palestine visit, music, food, film, short talks Book on Eventbrite.
CADFA works in the UK to promote awareness about the human rights situation in Palestine. It works to bring Palestinian voices to the attention of people in the UK through publications, public events, creative projects and exchange visits. It has worked with schools across England and Wales, bringing speakers, visitors and organising Zoom links with Palestine.
Image: c/o CADFA.
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