An evening of Palestinian music, poetry, art, dance and food will be on the menu next Sunday, April 6, at Galway Rowing Club as Galway’s Palestinian and Irish communities come together for A Taste of Palestine.

The event is a fundraiser for Gaza and doors are at 6pm, with music starting at 7.30pm.

Some of Galway’s finest musicians and singers taking part, including the Barcelo Brothers, singer-songwriters Sailhymn, Sharon Murphy and Tracy Bruen, and bouzouki/fiddle duo Libby McCrohan and Alice Gallanagh, Palestinian singer Aseel Shabana and Kurdish/Syrian bouzouki player Mohammad Syfkhan, who will open the night’s proceedings.

Musician, storyteller and actor Little John Nee will give a performance, while poets Eva Bourke, Vincent Woods and Bernie Crawford will read from their work.

The audience will also get a chance to perform in a traditional Palestinian Dabke dance session, led by Palestinian dancers Hiba and Omar.

Artists from diverse backgrounds and different regions of Palestine have donated work to be sold at the fundraiser. These pieces explore the complexities of Palestinian identity and history, and the region’s ongoing struggles. The artists include Nour Ziada, Waleed Dahdoul, Dala Nobani and Jameela Abed who designed T-shirts specially for the event. Works donated by Berlin-based Irish artist Ann Kiernan will also be for sale.

Sunday’s event is in solidarity with the people of Palestine, especially those in Gaza, and all proceeds will be donated to Wafaa Palestine, to support their work providing food aid, water and hygiene kits to families in Gaza, who are currently enduring catastrophic conditions.

Israel imposed a total siege on the region on March 2, blocking access to all food, medicine, fuel, and electricity. This means that Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people are facing famine conditions. More than 778 people have been killed – many of them children –  since Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed large-scale bombing on March 18.

The organisers stress that every cent raised at Sunday’s event will help save lives.

“This event honours Palestinian identity and culture in the face of ongoing Israeli attempts at ethnic cleansing,” explains Sawsan, one of the Palestinians organising it.

Traditional arts and culture are very important to Palestinians, which is something Irish people can relate to. And culture has an important role to play when people are under siege.

“For Palestinians, existence is a form of resistance. For over a century, Palestinian culture has remained at the heart of the resistance,” says Sawsan.”

Tickets to A Taste of Palestine at the Rowing Club are €15 on the door, payable by cash. Doors will open at 6pm with music at 7.30pm.

Those who would like to support the event but cannot attend, can donate via; https://www.idonate.ie/crowdfunder/EvaBourke

Pictured: Bouzouki player Mohammad Syfkhan will be among the musicians taking part.