beirut blues

jerusalem shorts

	Arab Neighborhoods (East Jerusalem)	Jewish Neighborhoods (East/West Jerusalem)
Population (2002)	185,000a	460,000a
social workers	32	178
number of cases per social worker	240	160
total number of public parks	45 (470 dunams)	1,087 (5,165 dunams)
playground strutures	15	220
Playground structures installed between 2003-2005	1	14
all recreational structures installed between 2003-2005	90	1,000
ping pong tables	0	14
park benches	38	400
Budget for public centers and services	$530,000 (15% of total)	$3.5 million (85% of total)
Average Household	5.3b	3.4b
Number of births 2004	8,200 (41%)b	11800 (59%) b

Sources:
Kol Ha'Ir, 23 September 2005
a. Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, 2003, Table III/13; Table X/12.
b. Kol Ha’zman, “18,000 People Don’t Live Here Anymore.”

From the Foundation for Middle East Peace (www.fmep.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assisting in a peaceful solution that brings security for both peoples. The FMEP publishes the Report on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories, as well as analysis and commentary, maps, charts and other resources.

luminaria

Word from Merriam-Webster:

luminaria • \loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh\ • noun
: a traditional Mexican Christmas lantern originally consisting of a candle set in sand inside a paper bag

Did you know?
"Luminaria" is a fairly recent addition to English; the earliest known use in our language dates from 1949, about the time that the old Mexican Christmas custom was gaining popularity among Anglo-Americans. In some parts of the U.S., particularly New Mexico, these festive lanterns are also called "farolitos," which means "little lanterns" in Spanish. We borrowed "luminaria" from Spanish, but the word has been around with exactly the same spelling since the days of Late Latin. The term ultimately traces to the classical Latin "luminare," meaning "window," and to "lumen," meaning "light." It is related to other light-bearing words such as "luminary," "illuminate," and "phillumenist" (a fancy name for someone who collects matchbooks).

a lantern festival in palestine?

Paper lanterns are easy and cheap to make. Put a hundred lit up paper lanterns together and the effect is spectacular. The creation of such an event brings communties together as it requires their active participation in terms of their creativity, the organisation of the event and their participation.

Goal: To take art and culture into the streets by involving the whole community in the creation of a lantern festival as a basis for culture and social regeneration of the community.

Plan: Four phases have been identified:  1st phase: training of volunteers in the community on lantern-making. 2nd phase: During the two weeks preceeding the lantern parade, lantern-making workshops are to be held in schools, women’s groups, youth clubs….to teach how to make their own lantern. A small kit is distributed to each individual and a lantern is made with the help of volunteers who have been trained to assist. All people are invited to join. 3rd phase : festival. On the day, all those who have produced a lantern are invited to come to a festival parade. The collective of all the lanterns is beautiful and uplifting. Opportunity with music, to create a festive atmosphere. Involvement of youth in the organisation of an event.   4th phase: Work in order to sustainably repeat the experience and involve a larger percentage of the community in the coming year.

Overarching objectives:  1) To strengthen the community spirit producing something simple, but beautiful that spurrs the imagination.   2) To produce an event that requires the active participation of the whole community. That requires the community to be active participants rather than spectators in a cultural event. 3)  To produce art/culture that is made by the community and gives it a sense a pride. 4)  Create a positive image of Palestinian community getting on the streets.

What do you need to make a lantern?: Cheap and easy to make , a paper lantern requires simple materials using basic handicraft techniques. You need a framework of willow sticks to create the basic shape which is then covered with tissue paper soaked in glue and is lit internally by a candle. The lantern can be carried on a bamboo stick outdoors.

Partners to involve: 1) Local communities in refugee camps, villages or cities;  2) Youth groups in refugee camps to be trained as volunteers; 3) WSI, a company of artists who for 21years have organised the Ulverston's Lantern Procession. It has now become one of the towns major festivals attracting crowds of over ten thousand each year. (www.welfare-state.org).

Anything can become a reason for having a lantern festival: 1) The symbolism of lanterns and the need to work together to improve the welfare of society, as depicted in the children's book "Al-Qandeel Al-Saghir" by Ghassan Kanafani.  2) The traditional use of “fawanees” during the Ramadan month, giving it a fresh homemade look.

Want to know more?: Contact Claudia - claudia.martinez-mansell@imaginarius.org