Bali, VIVA – Palestival or Palestine Festival 2024, a celebration of Palestinian culture and heritage, took place at the Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud, Bali on Saturday, September 28, 2024. Supported by the Royal Family of Ubud, this event celebrates a nation and its land through arts, music, culture, and cuisine.
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This non-profit event aims to promote peace and diversity, as well as showcase the strength and creativity of the Palestinian people.
Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair Al-Shun, who was present at Puri Lukisan, Ubud, stated that the festival is intended to give an insight into how the Palestinian people think about freedom and peace.
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“Bali is an interesting city for people, and you have seen various people here participating in the festival. This is very important,” said Zuhair Al-Shun.
Palestival or Palestine Festival
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Zuhair added that Palestinian culture has a strong message in spreading messages about culture, folk tales, and a nation.
“The Palestinian nation thrives on peaceful land, not for killing each other. Unfortunately, the current situation is very difficult due to aggression and occupation,” said Zuhair Al-Shun.
This condition is also reflected in the symbols present at Palestival in Ubud, Bali. At the entrance gate of the festival area, slices of watermelon are provided for anyone to take.
Watermelon has a strong symbol as a non-violent resistance carried out by the Palestinian people. From the slices of watermelon, three colors representing the Palestinian flag – red, white, and green – can be seen.
Palestival or Palestine Festival
In the wantilan area of Puri Lukisan, there is a painting depicting a couple with their children holding slices of watermelon.
The Penglingsir of Puri Ubud, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, revealed that Ubud is a center of change and a village of civilization healers.
In the festival, Puri Ubud opened access to the Palestinian community in Bali to showcase their cultural and artistic attractions.
Palestival is expected to have a significant impact on the Palestinian people who are facing challenging conditions.
“From Ubud, we pray that the Palestinian people can be given peace in their daily lives,” said Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati or Cok Ace.
Tariq Ansari from Stay Human Collective, as the event organizer, stated that art is a choice to respond to the situation in Palestine.
Through small groups in Bali, they want to contribute to helping in a peaceful way about human beings and humanity.
“The things happening in Palestine make it a reality that the world is becoming more violent, and there is no solution, really, just greed, ego, power. This is what seems to be happening in the world,” said Tariq.
“So, we ask, what can we do? What can we do as a small collective here in Bali,” he added.
Tariq stated that he does not want to touch on politics. Through the Palestival cultural festival in Ubud, he emphasizes that the Palestinian people exist and are real.
“They have a real culture and they are here, please respect them. Respect these people and this culture as they are. This is the mission of this festival,” he said.
The Palestine Festival is filled with artistic activities including screening inspirational documentary films about Palestine, such as Gaza Surf Club (2016), Bye Bye Tiberias (2023), and Farah (2015).
The films shown provide a positive and spirited perspective on the lives of the Palestinian people.
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Source: VIVA/ Maha Liarosh/ Bali
