How culture could help end Palestinian divisions
In light of the current economic situation in the Palestinian territories, culture and art have become luxuries.
Amid the deteriorating economic conditions plaguing the Gaza Strip, culture has become the least of society’s daily needs. Watching a play or listening to poems is no longer on the list of Gazans’ priorities at a time when unemployment increases by the day and the economy tilts on the brink of collapse.
The number of cultural activities dwindled amid an increase in the number of political and human rights seminars and conferences held by civil society and governmental organizations. Add to this the growing support for relief and emergency projects instead of activities related to art and culture.
The statistics contained in the 2011-13 strategic cultural plan published by the Ministry of Culture in Ramallah show that no more than 0.003% of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) general budget was allocated to cultural affairs across the Palestinian territories, including Gaza.
Mohamed al-Bouji, an author and professor of literary criticism at Al-Azhar University, believes that the Gaza Strip is not receiving enough support from the authorities in Gaza and Ramallah. He said that writers in the Gaza Strip are invisible as they rarely publish books or take part in cultural activities, be it in Gaza or abroad.
