Voices rising for Palestine in Cloughjordan
FROM 7.30pm, the evening of September 21 sees ‘Voices Rising for Palestine’, an event of musical inspiration and practical information in Cloughjordan’s Community Enterprise Centre.
The evening opens with a discussion on Ireland’s complicity in the current attack on Gaza and the West Bank. This will feature Brian Cuthbert, campaigns manager with Uplift, in conversation with Oliver Moore of the Cloughjordan Palestine Justice group.
The use of Irish airspace and Shannon airport in supplying weapons to Israel, trade and in particular dual use goods - products that can be turned into weapons - and academic and other economic connections to Israeli institutions will all form part of the discussion.
Political and community responses to this will then feature. This will include discussion on the progression or otherwise of the Occupied Territories Bill, which seeks to prevent trade with illegal settlements and businesses in the West Bank.
The Occupied Territories Bill seeks to ban the import and sale of goods produced in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. It specifically addresses economic activities related to these territories and has garnered significant support in Ireland as part of its broader stance on Palestinian rights
The Bill passed the Seanad with huge support some years back, but has since languished in limbo as the current government has failed to enact it. There is renewed momentum behind this, following the new legal advice the Irish Palestine Solidarity campaign has received, which finds that it is both allowable and indeed a requirement to enact the Bill, based on our International Obligations, and the recent International Court of Justice reaffirmation of previous findings on the illegal nature of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
LOCAL SPEAKERS
Fergal McDonnell and Eileen Brannigan of the Nenagh Friends of Palestine, and of the North Tipperary Branch of the IPSC, will outline community responses to help campaign for the Occupied Territories Bill. This includes the walking of signed petitions on the Occupied Territories Bill all the way from south Kerry to Dáil Éireann by foot, a walk which is passing through north Tipperary on September 19-21.
The other - and longer - part of the evening is cultural, with a range of local, national and international artists performing. Star attraction is Leen Maarouf, a 21-year-old Cork-based singer, who is a Palestinian refugee born in Beirut, Lebanon. Maarouf has performed at a number of high profile events all over Ireland in recent months, including at the Alternative Eurovision and at the Global Green area the Electric Picnic, during the Gaza - Community and Cultural Responses sessions.
Maarour will be joined by Kanoun player Aziz Abushark from Gaza - who has family members in Gaza and the West Bank right now.
Eisteacht is a multi-member singing group based in County Clare, focused on amplifying the voices of the marginalised through song. The singing and musician prowess of the Accidental Rapper, Ru O Shea and Sara Suzucs, who all also performed at the Global Green Area of the Electric Picnic, and feature here again.
A special premier screening of the short film Dancing with Strangers - From Palestine to Ireland will launch the evening at 7.30. This involves the concept of ‘body avatars’, whereby dancers in Ireland represent dancers in Gaza. Intrigued? Pop along to find out more.
All proceeds from the evening go to artists currently living in Gaza and to Ele Elna Elak - a charity on the ground in Gaza successfully providing usable water.
To book, go to ‘Voices Rising for Palestine’ on eventbrite. Tickets: €20. Paying on the day is possible if there is capacity in the venue, but it is not guaranteed. So, advance booking is highly recommended.
This event is in the Community Enterprise Centre, Cloughjordan (E53VP86), organised by the North Tipperary branch of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Cloughjordan Palestine Justice, Nenagh Friends of Palestine, and Cloughjordan Arts.