Emergency Support for Palestinian Artists in Palestine

Palestine

Palestinian theatre, music, film, and dance are part of their living heritage, carrying language, memory, and identity through performance. Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque, founded in Jerusalem in 1970 and operating from Ramallah since 2000, is one of the few institutions sustaining this work.

The ongoing emergency in the occupied Palestinian territories has left many artists without their primary income, as venues closed, events were cancelled, and the wider economy contracted. This not only affects artists’ livelihoods, but also erodes cultural expression and heritage preservation.

With €30,670 in support from CER, Al-Kasaba launched an open call through the PalArts Network for artists who had lost their livelihoods. Ten were selected for four-month stipends, and two senior Palestinian practitioners, George Ibrahim and Firas Abu Sabbah, provided more than 30 hours of mentorship. Al-Kasaba matched the grant in kind with free use of its Cultural Hub, a well-equipped space rarely available in the West Bank.

Nine artists and collectives completed their work, including a short musical and a children's play. At least 15 performances, mostly mobile productions, reached over 1,700 people in Nablus, the Jenin camps, and Tulkarm, communities usually outside the reach of cultural programming. Many performances were made for young audiences, offering children a creative outlet amid the crisis, and post-performance discussions turned the events into safe spaces for gathering and reflection. Overall, the project provided temporary relief in a persistent crisis, though two artists secured continued seed funding and one performed internationally.