Bethlehem Cultural Festival

The Camp’s Gate

Alrowwad Dabka Dance group

This powerful performance brings together music, theatre and traditional Palestinian Dabka dance to tell the story of the elderly Abu Ahmad. Specially created to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Alrowwad Centre for Arts and Culture earlier this year, The Camp’s Gate, uses music and dance to recount Abu Ahmad’s past and present, his displacement, life in a refugee camp and his hopes of freedom.

Alrowwad Centre for Arts and Culture was established in Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem in 1998. It is a not-for-profit organisation which strives to empower children and women by offering opportunities to develop skills in music, dance, theatre, photography and film-making. Alrowwad dancers have previously performed sell-out tours in the UK, USA and Europe.

Bethlehem Cultural Festival, organised by Friends of Bethlehem UK – partners with Alrowwad Centre – welcomes six dancers from Alrowwad to the UK in December to undertake a nationwide tour showcasing the dancing talents of young people from Aida camp. The tour runs from 29th November to 9th December 2022. The festival is a celebration of the rich and diverse cultural scene in Palestine through music, theatre, film, cookery, dance, spoken word, architectural heritage and discussion.


The Alrowwad tour is supported by Equity