Centre seeks to keep Palestinian heritage alive among youths

AMMAN — Sundos Halawa has been working hard to learn the Palestinian dabka and perform it while wearing the traditional dress to show her Palestinian identity to the world.

The 20-year old said she wants to learn all aspects of her Palestinian heritage to get to know her ancestors’ culture better and teach it to her peers.

“We can show the whole world through these activities that this is our culture and that our cause will not be buried,” she told The Jordan Times.

Dabka has long been the most common form of folk dance in Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

Halawa was among a number of young girls who performed the Palestinian dabka at the opening ceremony of the fifth Palestinian Cultural Exhibition, held by the Palestinian Culture Centre at the Jordan Construction Contractors Association in Abdoun on Saturday.

Items of traditional significance including dresses, accessories, books and meals are on display at the exhibition, which will run until Monday.

Siham Dabbagh, the president of the centre, said one of the basic goals they work on at the centre is to keep the tradition of embroidery alive for generations to come.

“Palestinian women do not wear this dress as they used to in the past so this aspect of heritage is threatened. When we started in 1991, old women used to come to our centre and work and now they are teaching their daughters and grandchildren,” she told The Jordan Times.

“This work is not only important for these families financially, it also brings young people closer to their families’ heritage,” said Siham Abu Ghazaleh, the head of the heritage committee and exhibitions at the centre.

Dabbagh said women usually work at their houses in the camps and they get the materials from the centre.

“Now, the majority of workers are young and this is what we want,” she added.

She added that the centre also provides scholarships for students and supports more than 100 families financially.

Tulip Issa, who has been learning the Palestinian dabka for four years, said every young Palestinian should learn dabka because “Israelis want to steal our art and culture, and this will help further highlight our culture.”

Rand Mbaideen, one of the visitors, said she noticed a limited presence of young people at the exhibition, adding that this is not a good sign.

“I think more activities need to be held as well to make the young generation aware of the importance of this heritage. They are the future of Palestine,” she told The Jordan Times.

Proceeds of the exhibition will be used to support underprivileged families.