thegarden

The Garden: Making Place
Contributors:  Aysar Al Saify, Qussay Abu Aker, Naba’ Al Ass, Murad Odah.

“The Al-Feniq Cultural Center in Dheisheh refugee camp emerged from the desire to create a common place for the camp community. Its name, Phoenix in Arabic, clearly evokes the epic story of destruction and re-birth. The centre inaugurated an adjacent garden in 2004. Since then it has constantly been reshaped and transformed in an ongoing design process.”

01 | The Garden (PDF)

The initiatives included in these booklets are the result of a collective effort made by the Campus in Camps participants in dialogue with community members, associations and collaborators. They have been inspired through dialogue with Sandi Hilal, Munir Fasheh, Alessandro Petti and activated with Tamara Abu Laban, BraveNewAlps, Ayman Khalifah, Matteo Guidi, Sara Pellegrini, Giuliana Racco, Diego Segatto, Dena Qaddumi.

Related Activities

→ July, 11,2013 – The “THIRD HOME” Book Discussion
third home

As part of the cultural events animating the al-Feniq Garden, Aysar, Murad, Naba’a and Qussay held a book discussion on July 11, 2013. The novel is centered on camp life starting form the Nakba of 1948 until now. Saleh Abu Laban, author of the book and resident of Dheisheh refugee camp, documented and reflected on the evolution of social life in the camp and its urban landscape, as well as how these changes are deeply intertwined with the political conditions.
Watch this video

→ July, 22, 2013- Music Reactivates The Common
musical night

The idea to hold music concerts and gatherings emerges from the will to reactivate common spaces in Dheisheh. On July 22, 2013 the first concert was held, exceeding our expectations: more than 70 men, women and children attended. What more, they didn’t want to leave: though Aysar, Qussay and Naba’ planned a one-hour event, it lasted for two and a half hours. The mainly classical Arabic music was performed by the Mazaj ensemble.

→ From July, 02, 2015- Cinema fi Al-Mukhayyam

To celebrate the realisation of the Concrete Tent, a gathering space for communal learning, Campus in Camps has organised a series public screening during Ramadan every Thursday and Friday during and after Iftar in the garden of the Al Finiq Cultural Center, Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Bethlehem. The film program is courteously provided by the 5th Riwaq Biennale.