The Third Palestinian Art and Folklore Conference titled “Reality and Challenges” was successfully concluded at the An-Najah University. The Conference was organized at the Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Theater by the Faculty of Fine Arts under the sponsorship of Palestine Cellular Communications Company (Jawwal) in celebration of the Palestinian Heritage Day on the 7^th of October every year.

Attendees to the Conference included: Her Excellency, Mrs. Siham Al-Barghouthi, the Palestinian Minister of Culture, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, President of An-Najah, Mr. Ala’ Hijazi, Sales Director and Representative of Jawwal to the Conference, Dr. Hasan N’erat, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Rapporteur of the Conference’s Preparatory Committee, Professor Yahya Jaber, in addition to a number of researchers, thinkers, representatives of the different national and social bodies, Faculties’ Deans, Directors of Scientific Centers at the University, member of the faculty staff and students.

The Conference started with a speech delivered by Professor Jaber who addressed the participants saying that the Conference is held in celebration of the Palestinian Heritage Day that is celebrated every year on the 7^th of October. He added that the Preparatory Committee of the Conference managed to prepare different topics than those of last year conference so as to cover a wide range of subjects and deal with different issues every time.

Moreover, he stated that the Committee also worked on inviting key researchers and thinkers from Palestine, the Arab countries and the world. He also said that this Conference is of great importance since heritage and folklore are considered the foundations on which the individual’s identity is established.

Dr. N’erat welcomed the guests to the University and valued their participation and interest in this event which aims to highlight the major aspects of the Palestinian folklore and heritage and bring to the light the many dangers that threat its existence. He added that there were a group of researchers who realized the scale of the systemized attack on the Palestinian heritage and were able to form a defensive line in an attempt to preserve and protect what is left of this heritage which embodies the Palestinian national identity.

Moreover, Dr. N’erat said that many researchers and thinkers from the different countries have come to present their studies on the Palestinian heritage and folklore which reflects the importance of this issue for them. The preservation of this heritage is a national priority and responsibility as much as it is a human moral commitment and all Palestinians and Arabs are responsible to try to protect and preserve it.

Prof. Hamdallah also addressed the importance of the Palestinian heritage and folklore in his speech emphasizing the idea that heritage is the identity of the nation and since the Palestinian heritage is subject to continuous threats by the Israeli occupation, then it is our duty to adopt a systemized and planned approach to protect it. He also explained that the Palestinian heritage is considered a human heritage characterized by long history of civilization and achievements. Despite all threats, the Palestinians have been able to defend this heritage through their work on bringing it to the light and raise the world’s awareness regarding its importance and the threats it faces currently.

In realizing the importance of heritage to the Palestinian people, the University established the Faculty of Fine Arts whose different departments are dedicated to the teaching of the Palestinian art, folklore and heritage so that young Palestinians grow up with a strong attachment to their heritage and national identity, Prof. Hamdallah said.

The University has also paid substantial attention to the preservation of ancient transcripts and documents that date back to hundreds and thousands of years which are considered key evidence on the Palestinians history. This was achieved by the establishment of documentation and archiving centers and museums, as well as the participation in various rehabilitation and rebuilding projects of the many key historical constructions and buildings.

Mrs. Al-Barghouthi expressed her pleasure to participate in the Conference and said that the Palestinian heritage forms a solid platform upon which the national identity is established. Preserving the heritage means that the Palestinian history is protected against the many practices of the Israeli occupation which tries hard to eliminate it.

She also added that the Ministry of Culture has adopted a number of projects that serve to protect and preserve the Palestinian heritage. Such projects included the collection of the Palestinian folk tale project, the National heritage record project in which the oral heritage is collected which describes the Palestinian hunting and agriculture heritage, in addition to other projects. Currently, the Ministry is working on a number of training courses in fields that serve the Palestinian heritage, in addition to a new law projects that shall be dedicated to supporting national careers, industry and traditional crafts.

Mr. Hijazi said in his speech on behalf of Jawwal that the Palestinian heritage is an essential element in the Palestinian culture and identity; therefore, it is very necessary to protect the national heritage especially in light of the many Israeli practices that target it. He added that Jawwal has supported and sponsored a number of cultural festivals and events in Palestine and assisted in supporting the Palestinian folklore bands whose role is very important in bringing the Palestinian heritage and folklore to the light.

The Conference consisted of two sessions. In the first session, Dr. Mahmoud Sa’adat and Dr. Amina Badawi presented their paper titled “The Importance of Folk Dialogue Games among Children in the Arab World (Palestine- Egypt- Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Countries) “The Culture of Dialogue””. Other papers included: “Folk Terms in the Palestinian Music” by Dr. Odeh Rashmawi, “The Ancient Musical Instruments in Historical Palestine” by Dr. Mutasem Adileh, “The Furniture and the Tools in the Palestinian Rustic House” by Researcher Nadia Al-Batmeh, and “The Civilization Accumulation in the Patterns of the Palestinian Dress” by Mr. Marwan Allan.

In the second session, a number of papers were also presented including: “The Folk Heritage Games in Al-Thahirya Town, Deep-rootedness and Originality, a Philosophical, Social and Psychological Study” by Dr. Ata Abu Jbeen, “The Heritage Plants in Mahmoud Darwish’s Texts” by Dr. Ahmed Bsharat, “The Educational Implications of the Folklore Games in Palestine, a Descriptive, Analytical and Field Study” by Dr. Idris Jaradat, “Riddles and Puzzles in the Palestinian Folklore” by Mr. Mahmoud Shnaiwer, “The Palestinian Folk Literature, Women’s Songs as an Example, a Scientific Study” by Mr. Khalifa Jadallah.

After the opening session, Prof. Hamdallah and Mrs. Barghouthi inaugurated the Heritage Exhibition in which a number of the societies interested in the Palestinian heritage participate.

In addition to the Exhibition, an art evening was organized at Hikmat Al-Masri Amphitheater at the New Campus in which a number of Palestinian folklore bands presented a variety of folklore shows.

Among the recommendations that the participants in the Conference have come up with is to work on teaching the Palestinian folklore and heritage in schools starting from the elementary stage. Also to encourage research work in the field of heritage and publish studies in different languages in order to familiarize the world with the Palestinian heritage and its significance to the Palestinian people.