On October 13^th 2010, the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University organized the Second Palestinian Conference on Art and Folklore titled "Reality and Challenges" in celebration of the Palestinian Heritage Day on October 7^th 2010. Attendees included Her Excellency Mrs. Siham Barghouti, the Palestinian Minister of Culture, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, University President, Mr. Sulaiman Abu Hijleh as representative of Jawwal Company (Palestine Cellular Communications Company), Dr. Hasan N'erat, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as a number of faculties' deans, directors of scientific centers, members of the academic and administrative staff, researchers and scholars, students and press.

 

The conference was organized at the Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Theater at the New Campus. The conference was opened with a speech by Professor Yahya Jaber, Professor of Linguistics at An-Najah, who said that the subject of this conference is of great importance to the Palestinians since it tackles one of its most crucial aspects which is heritage. He said that it is important for people to stay in contact with their origins and their roots, to be able to protect their heritage against all kinds of change because heritage is the identity of the people. He added that the Arab society in general and the Palestinian society in particular are trying to hold on to their values and stay in contact with their cultural and civilization origins. There is a huge cultural gap between the youth and the old in the Arab world; therefore, people must work on bridging this gap which could impact the Arab culture and values deeply.

 

Dr. N'erat on his part delivered a speech in which he said that the Faculty is pleased to meet with all the participants who came along to share and discuss the idea of heritage which is, without a doubt, a very important issue in the life of the Palestinians since it relates to their art, heritage and culture which is being targeted by those who are trying to destroy it and wipe it out because they know that heritage constitutes a major part of the Palestinian national identity. He also valued the President's support which he dedicated to the first round of this conference and the recommendations he presented which led to the establishment of the heritage museum. The museum was named "An-Najah National University Museum for the Palestinian Folklore" and included hundreds of Palestinian antiques that were collected by students. The museum was established in an attempt to preserve the Palestinian national heritage from being lost and to enable the next generations to stay connected to their past and origin.

 

Dr. N'erat also mentioned that taking care of the Palestinian national heritage and folklore is to be considered as a cultural duty as well as a human and moral commitment towards the preservation and protection of the national identity of the people. He added that the conference included the discussion of a number of significant issues related to national identity, heritage preservation, cultural history of the Palestinians, their right in this land and other topics.

 

Finally, he called upon researchers to carry on their work to preserve the national identity of the Palestinians and added that the Faculty of Fine Arts will continue to celebrate the Palestinian Heritage Day as an annual occasion.

 

Prof. Hamdallah said in his speech that heritage constitutes the identity and culture of any nation. The Arab region, especially Palestine, was always home to many civilizations and cultures, as a result, it became a hub for many conflicts and wars which greatly affected the region's heritage. Therefore, it became increasingly important to try to protect and preserve this heritage and culture. He added "Heritage is one of the most important means to preserve the identity of nations". For this reason, the University has established the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Documentation and Manuscripts Center, the Center for Urban and Regional Planning, the Museum as well as its participation in the reconstruction of the old city of Nablus.

 

He also stressed the importance of familiarizing the world with the Palestinian heritage and culture so as to ensure that it is being strongly supported thus facilitating its preservation.

 

On her part, Mrs. Barghouti thanked the University for holding such event and valued its continuous efforts to lead the cultural and educational movement in Palestine. She added that the Ministry of Culture has realized the importance of culture and heritage, for this reason, it managed to establish strong bonds between the public and official institutions in Palestine. Furthermore, she stressed the role of universities in Palestine in organizing and encouraging historical, social, cultural and heritage research which aims to support and protect the Palestinian national identity. National culture is very important and must be documented for the next generations; this ensures that our children will not be cut off their culture, history and identity.

 

The conference also included a documentary film about the Palestinian heritage. The Palestinian Museum for Art and Folklore was also inaugurated which was organized by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Women's Corner at Nablus Municipality, Antique House, the Palestinian House of Friendship, Embroidery Center and others. A visit was also organized to An-Najah Folklore Museum and the Faculty of Fine Arts Bazaar.

 

The conference discussed several work papers that addressed several cultural issues such as: Heritage, identity and globalization, family implications in the Palestinian feminine songs, folk and traditional musical instruments as recreational requirements in the Palestinian life and the role of those instruments in supporting the national identity- a field study, symbols in the traditional and contemporary Palestinian art, as well as photography and sculpture from an Islamic perspective.

 

A special session was organized after the conference in which the participants exchanged ideas and discussions with the audience regarding issues related to the Palestinian national heritage.

 

As part of the conference also, the Faculty of Fine Arts organized an art evening in which a number of Palestinian folk bands participated and presented several art shows including folk zajal (folk poetry) and dabkah (folk dance).

 
To watch a documentary film about the conference click here