Palestinian Celebration & Resistance Through Art

Palestinian Celebration & Resistance Through Art

Join us for an evening of art, heritage, and hope—featuring a live panel of UK-based Palestinian artists, followed by food and drink.

The evening will begin at the Palestine Museum with a panel discussion exploring how Palestinian artists weave tradition and modernity into their work, using art as a powerful tool for storytelling, resistance, and resilience. The panel will be chaired by co-founder and Embedded Artist of Art27 Scotland, Robert Rae.

Following the discussion, guests are invited next door to Good Brothers Wine Cellars to enjoy a Palestinian buffet dinner paired with wine and non-alcoholic drinks. A selection of food and drinks is included in your ticket price, with additional drinks available for purchase at the bar.

All ticket proceeds and donations will directly support the Palestine Museum in Scotland and Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (03139939) and a charity registered in England and Wales (1051681) and Scotland (SC039534)

Your ticket price includes:

• A donation to be split equally between the Palestine Museum, and Amnesty International
• Access to the Palestine Museum after hours
• Attendance at our panel of Palestinian artists
• A buffet of Palestinian food, provided by Hiba's Palestinian Kitchen
• Selection of wines and/or non-alcoholic beverages at Good Brothers Wine Cellars, specially selected to pair with dinner

A note on price transparency: This event is aiming for a 2:1 return for our causes, meaning for every £1 spent on running this event, £2 are donated. Another way to think of this is that approximately 66% of your ticket price is going directly to the Palestine Museum and Amnesty International, and approximately 33% is going towards running the event (food and drink costs, ticket fees, etc.). None of the money raised goes to the organisers. 

Reserve your place today and be part of an evening that celebrates Palestinian culture while making a meaningful impact. Spaces are limited—book your ticket now.

Panelist Details

Amira Al Shanti is a Scottish Palestinian performer, writer and composer. She has worked as an actor in London's West End and with the National Theatre of Scotland; and has had her work as a writer published in a number of different forms. She has written her own short film "Said the Dove to the Olive Tree", as well as composed the carol "O Little Town of Beit Lahem". More recently, she has composed and written Harvest the Musical.

Please note that, due to personal circumstances, Farah is no longer able to attend this event.

Farah Saleh is a Palestinian dancer, choreographer and scholar based in Scotland. Since 2010 she took part in choreographic projects in the Arab World, Europe and the US. Saleh has also been teaching dance, coordinating and curating artistic projects, including the Sareyyet Ramallah Summer Dance School, which she co-founded in 2016. She was an Associate Artist at Dance Base 2017-2021 and earned her practice-based PhD from Edinburgh College of Art in 2023. In 2024, Saleh started a lectureship in Global Majority Performance at Theatre Studies department at Glasgow University.

Ghazi Hussein is a poet and a teacher who has taught Arabic poetry and calligraphy for many years. He studied philosophy and Arabic grammar. Born to a Palestinian family exiled in Syria. Starting at age 14, he was subjected to 20 years, on and off, of imprisonment and torture, and deemed ‘guilty of carrying thoughts’ though never formally charged. In prison, Hussein often felt hopeless and wished for death but, through his poetry, he was able to build a mental sanctuary that saved his life. In 2000, he arrived in the UK, where, after a three-year legal struggle, he and his family gained political asylum, settling in Edinburgh which he now considers his home. 

Jude Ershead is a Glasgow-based graphic designer and print artist. Her work includes poster design for the Scottish Refugee Council, and design work in "No-one is Free until Palestine is Free," an informational publication about the fight for collective liberation.

Robert Rae is Co-Founder of Art27 Scotland and a socially engaged artist, who writes and directs for theatre and film. Following a visit to Gaza he adapted Ghassan Kanafani’s LITTLE LAMP for the children’s stage. With Ghazi he co-wrote and then directed the BAFTA winning TROUBLE SLEEPING. Further collaboration with Ghazi includes THE JASMINE ROAD (telling the story of ISM activist Rachel Corrie’s murder in Gaza) and ONE HOUR BEFORE SUNRISE the story of Ghazi's own imprisonment. Recently they staged the story of Palestinian Doctor Issam Basslat’s imprisonment without trial in Belfast. For five-year Robert has been working with victims and survivors of the Conflict in Ireland, co-writing and directing BLOOD RED LINES.

Schedule

6:00 - Doors open at the Palestine Museum for VIP ticket holders

6:20 - Door open for General Admission ticket holders

6:30 - 7:30 - Artist Panel

8:00 - Food and Drink Served at Good Brothers Wine Cellars