Under the slogan "Our Culture is Our Identity" Bethlehem Municipality is preparing to launch the third Bethlehem District Diaspora Convention next week

Under the patronage and support of His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, and in the framework of Bethlehem Capital of Arab Culture 2020, and under the slogan “Our Culture is Our Identity” Bethlehem Municipality is preparing to launch the third Bethlehem District Diaspora Convention next week, under the title “The influence of Bethlehemite Culture in other nations”.

Bethlehem Municipality is organizing the convention in cooperation with the Municipalities of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, on Friday and Saturday, on the 3^rd-4^th of September 2021, from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M Jerusalem time, via Zoom platform due to the Corona pandemic and the resulting global health situation and difficulties in travel and commuting.

The convention targets the expatriates of Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour cities around the world. It is expected that approximately (200) expatriates will participate from 35 countries from Europe, the Arab world, North and South America, and Australia. The diversity of the nationalities between the participants distinguish this year's convention from previous years.

In light of the celebration of Bethlehem as the capital of Arab culture, the organizers seek, through the diaspora convention, to show the influence of Bethlehemite culture in the world through its expatriate sons. The convention also seeks to enhance the local and international pride of the people of Bethlehem locally and globally in their culture and heritage. In addition to providing a platform for cultural institutions locally and internationally to exchange experiences and information.

In order to achieve this, the convention program will include various sessions showing the cultural aspects in the homeland and its impact on diaspora, with the participation of specialized speakers who have contributed to highlighting the Palestinian culture in several countries around the world thanks to their distinguished works and achievements.

The first session in the convention on cinema and theater is moderated by Marina Barham, director of Al-Hara Theater, with the participation of speakers specialized in the field, namely Emily Jacir from Bethlehem and Italy, Khaled Al-Maso from Beit Jala, Raed Andoni from Paris, and Firas Mukarkar from Beit Jala and Sweden.

The second session will be moderated by Samer Baboun, Director of the Piccrillo Handicraft Center in Bethlehem, with the participation of Enrique Al-Jadi from Colombia, Atallah Zakharia from Bethlehem, and Widad Kawar, The mother of Palestinian dress from Jordan, Maha Al-Saqqa from Bethlehem, and Anton Mansour from Lebanon and France for the art of writing icons.

As for the third part, which is about contemporary art, moderated by Faten nastas, an artist and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Dar Al-kalima University, and Elias Halabi from Bethlehem, Victor Mahana from Chile, and Bashir Qonqar from Austria.

The last part targets music, directed by the young musician Ramzi Qustandi Shomali, with the participation of Dr. Luab Hammoud from Majd al-Krum in 1948 occupied Palestine, where he talks about traditional music with a focus on the works of the Bethlehemite composer Riad al-Bandak. Followed by an artwork from the Bethlehem Municipality's reproduction of the song "Ya Aini Ala el Saber", composed by the Bethlehemite composer Riad Al-Bandak by the legendary singer Wadih Al-Safi, performed by the young artist George Thaljieh in cooperation with Edward Said National Conservatory of Music and RJ Music Production. Then followed by an intervention from the composer Patrick Lama from Paris on liturgical music and opera, with a focus on his father, the Palestinian musician Augustine Lama. Finally, an intervention from the composer Mohammed Najm from Paris on contemporary music between the homeland and the diaspora.

In addition, each session will be followed by a space for discussion with the audience, presentations of artistic, musical, and theatrical works produced by the Bethlehem Municipality in cooperation with local and expatriate artists and cultural institutions in Bethlehem and expatriate. A virtual exhibition will also be launched on the Diaspora website Diaspora (bethlehem-city.org) of visual art by artists from both sides.

Bethlehem Municipality invites all those who are interested to follow the updates of the conventions through the website or through the social networking pages via Facebook (1) Bethlehem District Diaspora Convention | Facebook or via Instagram Bethlehem Diaspora convention. Bethlehem Municipality invites who want to participate to register via the link https://bit.ly/2021-Bethlehem to be provided with a Zoom link to participate or attend the broadcast spread on social media pages.