10 Palestinian women coming to Britain to talk about their lives for International Women’s Day
Women from all over the Palestinian West Bank bring their stories to enrich twinning links all over England
The Britain Palestine Twinning Network is organising an exciting speaking tour at the time of International Women’s Day in March 2008. The first of its kind, the tour will bring women from all across the West Bank and from all walks of life to dozens of places starting from Exeter and travelling north over about ten days.
Coming from towns, villages, universities including Ramallah (effectively capital of the West Bank since Jerusalem was cut off by the Separation Wall), Hebron, Jenin and Nablus, the women will visit the towns that have been building special links with them, for celebrations of International Women’s Day and many public meetings about human rights.
It is not easy for women to come from Gaza under the current situation of siege, but the West Bank women are not likely to forget the current agonies of women in Gaza when they tell their own tales. For the women coming, this will be an opportunity to tell the wider world about the tensions of the Israeli occupation, the pressures of the Separation Wall, the erratic behaviour of Israeli soldiers at the checkpoints.
“We hope on our visit to build relations with women and societies in U.K ,and to exchange experience” writes Wasfia Othman, a social worker and chair of a women’s committee in Beit Leed, a village near Tulkarem. Her village has a new relation with people in Pendle, Lancashire, one of about thirty places in England now with friendship links with Palestine.
“These are the real stories of occupation,” explains Nandita Dowson, from the Camden-Abu Dis Friendship Association. “Different twinning groups have chosen different people – health workers, teachers, students, an agricultural engineer – and the terrible thing is that even before we meet them, we know that every one of them have awful things to tell us. Sons in prison, families prevented from meeting each other by the Separation Wall, people unable to get in or out of Palestine.”
The twinning movement has been gathering strength since an initial conference in London in September 2005, with a conference in each country once a year. This is the first national tour the network has organised, and if you live in England anywhere between Exeter and Manchester, the women will be speaking in March in a community centre near you.
Britain Palestine Twinning Network http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net is a coalition of groups across Britain making twinning and friendship links with places in Palestine
Who’s who:
Rawan, student from Al Quds Uni in Abu Dis
Shatha, student from Al Quds Open Uni in Salfeet
Imtethal, student from An Najah Uni in Nablus
Sharifa, trade unionist (tourism) from Hebron
Rana teacher from Aizariya
Wasfia, social worker and head of women’s organisation from Beit Leed
Rawia, nurse from Beit Leed
Thureyah, health worker from Ramallah,
Sheerin, human rights worker from Al Walajah
Manal, agricultural engineer from Jenin
Meetings at;
Thursday 6th March – Oxford University 8pm, Wadham College
Friday 7th March – Exeter University 11-12 M&D Room, Devonshire House
Friday 7th March – Exeter 7pm, Phoenix Arts Centre
Saturday 8th March – London Million Women Rise, Trafalgar Square. Palestinian women on the platform at 4pm
Saturday 8th March – Bromley – 2pm contact us for address
Saturday 8th March – Tower Hamlets 6-10 pm, Brady Arts Centre 192-196 Hanbury St (Vallance Road end) nr Whitechapel tube
Sunday 9th March – Camden – 1pm Somers Town Community Centre, Ossulston Street NW1 .
Monday 10th March – London School of Economics 1pm in room S50
Monday 10th March – University College London – 3pm in lecture theatre 1, Cruciform Building, UCL, Gower Street
Monday 10th March – School of Oriental and African Studies, 5pm London
Monday 10th March – Luton -7pm – Bury Park Community Centre
Monday 10th March – Watford – 7.30 – Trade union hall, Woodford Road, WD17 1PB
Tuesday 11th March – Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent -12 noon, Boardroom, Students’ Union
Tuesday 11th March – Manchester 6.30 venue tbc
Tuesday 11th March – Birmingham – 7pm Council House
Wednesday 12th March – Nottingham – 7pm Bass Management Centre Nottingham Trent University Goldsmith Street
Wednesday 12th March – Leeds University –12 noon, mtg room 2, ARC Students’ Union
Wednesday 12th March – Walsall time and venue tbc
Wednesday 12th March – Leeds 7.30 venue tbc
Thursday 13th March – Manchester University. 1-2 pm, Gender research network- Humanities Centre Bridgeford Street 1.69/1.70 5pm Biko’s Café, Steve Biko Building, Manchester Student Union
Thursday 13th March – Blackburn – meeting at Blackburn College
Thursday 13th March – Pendle – 7.30 pm Brierfield Community Centre,
Friday 14th March – Ormskirk 7.30 Church Hall (contact 01704 889069 for details)
Friday 14th March – York 12.00 noon at the Spurriergate Centre (at the Ouse Bridge end of Coney Street)
Friday 14th March – Pendle – meeting at Nelson and Colne College
Saturday 15th March – Manchester twinning meeting and lunch 10.30 am – 2pm Safad Restaurant, Whitworth Street, behind coach station.
http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/womenandpalestine.html
For more details download leaflet http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/xdocuments/Women’s%20leaflet%202008.pdf or contact women@camdenabudis.net
International Women's Day 2008 