Palestinian Traditional Dresses

Embroidered dresses are an important part of Palestinian culture and history. Dating back to ancient history, women have been hand making beautiful dresses. Once an indicator of class and marital status, the dresses have now become a more symbolic costume to remember Palestinian culture and keep the tradition alive. In this piece, Sondos Nidal talks about this important handicraft and interviews her grandmother about the history of embroidered dresses.

Story by Sondos Nidal

Photo credit: Athal Al Azza

Dreams of Jerusalem

Since the beginning of the Intifada, Palestinians with West Bank or Gaza Identity Cards have needed to obtain permits from the Israeli Intelligence in order to enter Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, has important prayer sites for Muslims, Christians, and Jews. In this clip, 15 year-old Rania Roomi, talks about dreams of one day being able to visit Jerusalem.

Story by Rania Roomi

Photo credit: Mohammad Alazza

 

Why I Read Ghassan Kanafani

I have written this piece because I want everyone to know about Ghassan Kanfani. He put something in my heart and made me feel proud about being Palestinian.

Story by Athal Al Azza

Music by Le Trio Joubran

photo accessed from   http://www.bintjbeil.com/articles/2003/ar/0709_bazzi.html

How To Make Turkish Coffee

Here in Palestine, coffee is a MAJOR part of our life. We drink it first thing in the morning, second thing in the morning, after lunch, whenever people come to visit, at work during meetings, to resolve disputes, at weddings, at funerals…Yep, we pretty much drink it all the time. In Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, locals tend to drink a Turkish style of coffee made from a combination of brown and black beans and ground until extremely fine and soft.

When people from outside the Arab world come to visit us, they often develop a taste for this style of coffee but have difficulty making it themselves. We often get asked the same series of questions: how many spoons of coffee should I use? How long should I keep the coffee on the stove before it’s done? How do you keep it from overflowing and making a huge mess? Well now, thanks to Radio Lajee’s Layan Azzeh, all will be revealed in this cute, instructional video of hers. If you enjoy watching it and find it helpful, don’t forget to leave a comment for her below.

Happy coffee making!

First Impressions of Palestine

Each year, a number of internationals visit Palestine for the first time as part of the Lajee Center’s International Summer Workcamp.

Radio Lajee spoke with some of this year’s participants to find out what surprised them most about their experiences here.

This video was produced by Radio Lajee’s Linda Azzeh, Basil Zboun, Maren Rosenberg and Daz Chandler.

For further information about the International Summer Workcamp, please email info@lajee.org

A Glimpse of Ramadan

Here in Aida Camp and in fact most of the Arab world, Ramadan is a pivotal occasion which takes place for 30 days of every year. It’s the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and historically commemorates the period when the first verses of the holy Qu’ran were revealed.

On a surface level, Ramadan is about fasting so if you’re in good health, adult and Muslim, you should refrain from eating or drinking anything during the daylight hours. When the sun sets, Muslims break the fast generally alongside their entire family.

On a deeper level, Ramadan is a time for spiritual advancement, self-improvement, generosity, empathy and community.

Like any significant religious occasion, some people love it, while others dread it. One thing’s for sure though, Ramadan certainly means something different to everyone.

To give you a better understanding of what these 30 days are about, Radio Lajee’s Shoroq Asad prepared this slide-show. If you like it, don’t forget to leave a comment and share with others!

Afif’s Story

In 1948 the year of the Nakba, Afif Gatasha was just six months old. In this recording, he shares the very personal and moving story of his life from then until now.

Sound recording: Layan Al Azza

Click Here To Show Transcript

Shadia Mansour on the Importance of Palestinian Hip Hop

Shadia Mansour is a Palestinian artist who is based in the UK. Her medium is Hip Hop and she believes that it is the next crucial phase in Palestinian resistance. Here in the West Bank we have a mixed reaction to this genre of music – many people feel that it doesn’t reflect our culture.

Radio Lajee’s Hiba Al-Azraq caught up with Shadia while she was in Bethlehem on tour. She has been visiting the West Bank since she was a little girl, her family are originally from Haifa and Nazareth.

Click Here To Show Transcript

A Break From Politics

Recently, we received an email from a listener wanting to know what we do in Occupied Palestine in our ‘down time’.

Radio Lajee’s Shoroq Asad prepared this report about one particular event that is universally popular here.

When you take a listen, you’ll be able to tell immediately that Shoroq is one huge lover of verse – her script is pure poetry!

If you like the piece or have any questions, we would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below.

Script & Voice: Shoroq Asad

Field Recordings: Mohammad Waleed and Daz Chandler

Click Here To Show Transcript