At the start of the year our Founding Editor-in-Chief Emma Blake Morsi challenged herself to have monthly adventures throughout the year, also know as 12 Months 12 Adventures.
Over 31st – 11th August she will be travelling to Palestine to work with local and international peace activists alongside Amos Trust and Saffron Records, who have partnered with already existing organisations working on grassroots community projects to call for peace, reconciliation and full equal rights for all Palestinians and Israelis. Peep the lowdown on what this trip means, and most importantly, why she is raising £500 for the Amos Trust charity
Music is a powerful tool for building on community cohesion because of its universal shared sense of value and spiritual worth. In the West Bank Amos Trust works closely with existing communities and partners Holy Land Trust, Wi’am Reconciliation Centre and Alrowwad Centre for Culture and Arts – and in Gaza with NECC and Al Ahli Hospital. Understanding this importance, Saffron Records have set upon establishing Bristol’s first female youth record label as being an influential vessel in bringing about social harmony and healing through music.
Amos Trusts’ Palestinian partners run community programmes to promote creative, non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza – and work to relieve the stress and despair that the occupation causes within these communities:
“We seek to share their stories, stand with them in their suffering and support the work they do – raising awareness of the horrors of home demolitions, the building of the Separation Wall, restrictions on freedom of movement and the daily impact of life under occupation.”
Saffron Records will be joining Amos Trust, putting human rights above politics, in order to hold creative workshops in local communities and contribute to arts festival, Bet Lahem Live. Started by Holy Land Trust, in conjunction with Greenbelt Arts Festival and Amos Trust, Bet Lahem Live is a local project dedicated to promoting creative, non-violent opposition to the occupation.
Often the reliability of the information we are shown through media can be taken for granted and it’s always important to research further and expand your sources and understanding. As the founder of Nocturnal I am incredibly passionate about the influence media has on our understanding of the wider world – especially on our fears, expectations, and misbeliefs.
We’re no longer in the age of ignorance. The internet allows communication to surpass borders and it’s about time we begin to look further than just what we’re shown.
The opportunity to have an authentic experience and explore Palestine, whilst attending their spiritual festivals and meeting like-minded creatives in their communities, will be immensely treasured. Especially with the ongoing transnational conflicts, it can be hard to decipher for yourself what’s truly going on whilst living your day-to-day life thousands and thousands of miles away. I’m expecting to have my world shook up in the most eye-opening way.
I have £500 ($660) left to raise for Amos Trust in order to complete this journey with them and Saffron Records. No contribution is too small – it represents solidarity in the face of constant opposition, which I treasure deeply.
Throughout the journey I’ll be capturing stories and moments to share. The handmade postcard pledges will enable me to pass on quotes, scenes and the ambience of my surroundings back to you. This includes engaging with other young creatives in our visit to the The Alrowwad Youth Theatre, as well as building on relationships with the women’s cooperative in the Arroub camp which has been growing over the past few years.
Authenticity is at the heart of this journey, from working closely with already existing communities and partners, and I’ll be carrying this on with the handmade postcards as I capture tales of the West Bank directly from its civilians.
Amos Trust is a small, creative human rights organisation, committed to challenging injustice, building hope and creating positive change. They work with vibrant grassroots partners around the world who are developing local solutions to global issues. Their partners are the experts they learn from, making collaboration at the forefront of everything they do.
The money raised will be going towards supporting their ongoing projects, which includes promoting the rights of Street Children in South Africa, Burundi, India and Tanzania, creating a just peace for Palestine and building sustainable rural communities in Nicaragua and India.
No contribution is too small, whether it be financial or sharing this far and wide.
Excuse the cheese but I am all about working together for a greater vision, so stay alert in what Amos Trust, Saffron Records and their Palestinian partners (Holy Land Trust, Wi’am Reconciliation Centre, Alrowwad Centre for Culture and Arts, NECC and Al Ahli Hospital) are up to because despite the daily despair there is a lot of good going around and I’d hate for you to miss out.