Visit of National Youth Band 2007
In August 2007, 10 young people from Nablus came
to Dundee with 3 adult leaders. They are members of the Youth
Band from the National Centre for Music in Nablus.
They had an exciting and varied programme.
The Shore
The Shore is a centre in Dundee specially for young people to create and enjoy music, arts and crafts. It was a great place for the musicians from Nablus to meet young people from Dundee and to play music together.Music & Mezze
What
better way to celebrate in Scotland than with a ceilidh! This one
had a mix of Palestinian music from the National Youth Band and
Scottish music from a local ceilidh band - the Phenobarbitones.Everyone enjoyed listening, dancing and eating.
Getting used to Scottish dancing might be hard work for the Palestinians but they managed it superbly.
Food was delicious. Lamb with a vegetarian option of falafel.
This event was organised by Dundee Nablus Twinning
Association. At the request of the young Palestinians this was in
aid of the Red Crescent Children's Hospital, Nablus. We raised
about £1,000.
Wallace Monument
We had to go somewhere Scottish and where better than the Wallace Monument near Stirling. Not only does it commemorate a Scottish hero, it also offers great views from the top. Many Palestinians have seen the film "Braveheart" and find it stirs their emotions with its story of determination to seek self-control in the face of a powerful neighbouring state.
As we arrived, actors were starting to portray William Wallace as he reviewed his past life and future objectives. Perhaps not surprisingly the Palestinians found it rather difficult to understand his broad Scots accent. But they empathised with his story and enjoyed holding his mighty broadsword. They liked it so much that they gave him one of their keffiyehs which he accepted with grace and not a little tear in his eye as he expressed the hope that the Palestinians could follow his example in seeking their independence.
Lord Provost's Youth Festival
The young people had been invited by the Lord Provost (Mayor) of Dundee to participate in his Youth Festival. This included guests from Dundee's other twin cities of Alexandria (USA), Orleans (France) and Wurtzberg (Germany).Everyone stayed in the Apex Hotel on Dundee's waterfront close to the city centre.
Friday - Twin City Summit
The young people were invited to talk about the problems faced by young people in their home town and also their aspirations. The meeting was chaired by Laura Gorman from Dundee Youth Voice who is one of Dundee's Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP). Her fellow MSYPs from Dundee were also present. So we had 5 different groups and their discussion revealed some significant differences between the different towns and surprised several of the participants.
Dundee Youth Voice presented each delegation with a traditional Scottish Quaich (drinking vessel).
Friday - Charity Dinner
The Lord Provost hosted a Charity Dinner at the Apex Hotel to raise money to enable young people to participate in twinning activities. It included performances by the Dundee Schools Music Theatre and ceilidh dancing. Following their practice at the Music & Mezze ceilidh, the Palestinians were able to teach Scottish dancing to young people from the other twin cities!Saturday - Twinning Luncheon
This was the most formal event.
Saturday - Youth Parade
All the twinning guests joined the Lord Provost and young people from Dundee for a parade through Dundee. The flag of the City of Nablus was carried by Rand Shaka'a.
This was followed by performances in City Square started off by the National Youth Band from Nablus.
See also "Lord provost praises spectacular youth parade" in The Courier
Sunday - Church Service
At St Paul's Cathedral, the Twin Cities Celebration Service included readings in the native language of each twin city so Hassam gave a reading in Arabic from the Holy Qur'an.Memories
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| Posing
on board the Discovery |
Rigging
on the Discovery |
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| Girls
before boarding Discovery |
Boys
on Discovery |
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| NYB on
swings at Strathclyde Country Park |
NYB on
the water slide at Strathclyde Country Park |
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| NYB
girls on train |
NYB
Water slide - wow! |
Thanks
Many people contributed to making this possible and it is impossible to list them all. So just an outline of some of the organisations involved.Many members of the Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association (in Dundee) put in a lot of work which was matched by the efforts of the Nablus-Dundee Twinning Association (in Nablus). The Lord Provost of Dundee and members of the Dundee City Council gave invaluable support and modified events to accommodate the National Youth Band. We particularly appreciated support from Dundee Youth Voice who helped to familiarise the young visitors with Dundee customs. Essential funding was provided by Youthlink Scotland and Dundee City Council.
National Centre for Music, Nablus - Palestine
Click here to see a PDF format A4 flyer of Music & Mezze the event.