Yabous Cultural Center Al Zahra St. - P.o.Box 54874 Jerusalem -Palestine Tel: 02-6261045 Fax: 02-6261372
مع الشكر الجزيل لداعمي حفل العشاء الخريي
Yabous Productions Yabous Productions is a Jerusalem based Palestinian, non-profit organisation that produces various artistic productions. Founded in 1995 by a dynamic group led by Suhail Khoury, and composed of Yaccoub Abu Arafeh, Mazen Bazbaz, Dalia Habash, Jack Persekian, Maha Qubti, and Raed Saadeh. Since then, other committed members joined Yabous Productions, whose aim was to revive cultural life in Jerusalem. Mission statement Development of arts to promote cultural and national values and to advance humanity... Yabous Productions was established to revive cultural life in the city of Jerusalem, with a Palestinian identity and originality. Yabous, is the historical first name of Jerusalem, named after one of the Canaanite tribes that built the first city of Jerusalem, 5000 years ago.
Objectives Ra ouf Haj Yahya -Jerusalem Festival 2008 Key milestones Steve Sabella -Jerusalem Festival 2007 1. to develop cultural work in Palestine in general and in Jerusalem in particular. 2. to revive the central role of Jerusalem in the Palestinian cultural life, and to provide opportunities for networking with the world s culture in general, and the Arab culture in particular. 3. to advance the level of culture appreciation and artistic taste of the public. 4. to promote Palestinian artists, groups and productions locally and globally. 5. to carry out cultural outreach to all segments of the society. 6. to coordinate and complement the work of Palestinian cultural organisations. 1. Organizing the Jerusalem Festival every summer at the Tombs of the Kings. Since 1996, the festival has been considered as the most important annual cultural event in Jerusalem, organised by Yabous in cooperation with the Consulate General of France, hosting a group of international, Arab and Palestinian artists. Organising the festival in the city of Jerusalem reaffirms the commitment of Palestinians to culture, enhances cultural exchange with the Arab world, and provides an opportunity for Palestinians to enjoy music and arts performed by Palestinian, Arab and international artists.
Ra ouf Haj Yahya - Palfest 2009 2. In partnership with the British organisation Engaged Events, Yabous Productions, has been organising a Festival of Literature - PALFEST, on a yearly basis since 2008. Various groups of international, Arab and national writers and poets participate in literary readings, workshops, field trips and musical evenings, held in many Palestinian cities; 3. In partnership with the New York based organisation Dreams of a nation, Yabous Productions, organised a film festival Dreams of a Nation in 2004. A second film festival, Arab film festival was carried out in 2005; 4. In 2007, and in cooperation with Ashtar Theatre, Yabous Productions organised a seasonal theatre for the oppressed. This festival offered multi-cultural models and experiences of a variety of plays within the framework of the Forum theatre, with the participation of international and local theatres; Mohammad Saleh -A Day for Gaza 2009 5. In partnership with Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, Yabous Productions has been organising The Jerusalem Concert Seasons every spring and fall since 1999. This initiative is in support of promoting international, Arab and local musicians and composers; 6. Yabous Productions plays an important role in identifying and marketing Palestinian music across the world, through participation in international festivals and events on a regular basis including in the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals (EFWMF), and the World Music Expo (WOMEX). In cooperation with the department of culture and media in Al Sharjah, Yabous Productions held a conference in 2005, reaching out to reputable Arab festivals, aiming at enhancing networking and outreach within the Arab world. During the conference, the Arab Music Festival Network was declared and initiated; 7. Within the framework of promoting and marketing Palestinian musical groups, Yabous Productions facilitated tours for many Palestinian groups, and facilitated enhanced and improved relations with many institutions, cultural centres, festivals, and cultural federations across the world. Yabous Productions also carried out a campaign Music from My country Palestine that promotes the productions of the best Palestinian musicians at the local and international levels.
Yabous Cultural Centre Based on the important role that culture plays in defying the continued confrontations, harassment and threats to national identity, there was a crucial and urgent need for consolidated efforts to improve cultural life in the heart of Jerusalem. Implementing a series of cultural projects is key to reviving cultural life, which has been deep rooted in the city of Jerusalem. To meet the needs of Palestinian citizens residing in Jerusalem, there was an urgent need to activate culture, which otherwise has been oppressed and neglected since 1967. Establishing a cultural centre in Jerusalem that is in line with the Palestinian national agenda and plans, and meets the rights and needs of Palestinians, has become a crucial step. The cultural centre is located in Al Zahra Street, on the old premises of al Quds cinema, in the heart of Jerusalem. The cultural centre has a developmental vision of instilling and reviving culture and arts in Jerusalem that meets the needs and rights of the people of all ages, including children, irrelevant of gender, color, religion, status and nationality. Through various social and cultural events, the centre will create a new social reality, artistic creativity, and will revive culture in Jerusalem that has been absent for many years. The centre will also provide job opportunities for a large segment of the society. The cultural center consists of the following: - A cinema hall that will feature international, regional and local movies and festivals; including children s and young people s movies.this hall can accommodate 85 people. - A dance and music performances hall that seat 420 people, and is fully equipped with the latest technical requirements and Orchestra pit. - A small multi-purpose hall for exhibitions and performances that accommodates 120 people. - A fully-equipped conference room for the use of local and international institutions. - A small children s centre for puppet shows; story telling; children activities as well as baby sitting services to enable caregivers to enjoy the centre s activities. - A book store that sells books, magazines, publications and a variety of Palestinian products. - A modern cafeteria. The cultural centre will serve all segments of the society of all ages and backgrounds. It will reach out to most vulnerable groups, institutions, schools, and international organizations working in Palestine. Yabous Productions has been working with a wide variety of engineering and managerial companies in setting the standards for the cultural centre. The construction / renovation of the centre has been designed and supervised by Atelier D'architecture et D'urbanisme Anastas - Bethlehem, managed by Simon Kouba Consultants- Jerusalem and implemented by - main contractor the Six brothers Contracting Company. However, and in light of the prevailing political situation, there is a need for continued coordinated efforts to provide support, whether moral or financial to allow this project to succeed, develop and excel. United for Culture in Jerusalem
General Assembly of Yabous Nazmi al Jubeh Chairperson Abdul Qader al-husseini Member Khaled al-kaloti Member Monica Awad Member Rima Awad Member Mazen Bazbaz Treasurer Hidaya Dajani- Member Yusef Daher Member Sami El-Yousef Member Mahmoud Jaddeh Member Issa Kassissieh Member Zahi Khouri Member Suhail Khoury Member Jamal Nusseibeh Member Raya Yusef Member Yabous s Team Rania Elias - Director Randa Antar - Executive Secretary Khaled el-ghoul - Project Coordinator Samir Hallac - Accountant Maha Hammouri-Ghosheh - Fundraising Rima Issa / Coordinator cinema program Reem Jahshan - Graphic Designer Majed Musafar - Services Nadine Nashashibi - Groups Affairs Manager Hind Touma-Hashweh / Advertising & Marketing Coordinator Guards Munther Barakat (officer), Ala Haddad, Haitham Hijazi, Khaldoun Hijazi, Naser Qos, Imad Shaloudi, Muhanned Shaweesh. The following are to be commended for their significant support for the Yabous Cultural Center - Arab Fund for local economic & social development - Bayt Mal Quds Asharief Agency Morocco - British Consulate General Jerusalem - Consulate General of Belgium Jerusalem - Consulate General of France - Consulate General of Spain - Spanish - Cooperation Office Jerusalem - Ford Foundation - Government of Sharjah UAE - OPEC Fund for International Development - Palestine Investment Fund - Paltel Group - Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) - The Representative Office of Norway to the Palestinian Authority - The Representative office of the Federal Republic of Germany Special Thanks are extended to all those who gave their precious and support to this fundraising dinner Ahed Izhiman Akram Sbitany & Sons Co. Andre Karkar Trading Ltd. Ayah Jawharieh Shaker Azzahra Hotel & Restaurant Betty Majaj Borderline CMC- Computer Media Center Dalal Abu Amneh & her musical band Elias Anastas Gasman Production Guiding Star LTD. Hanna Tams Hidaya Dajani Ihab Khatib Imad Al-Hindi Issa Freij Issam Murad Jacir Palace Intercontinental Bethlehem Jerusalem Cinema Co. Ltd Jerusalem Hotel Jihad Barq Johar Silver Legacy Hotel Melia Centre Arab Orthodox Society Omar Al Qattan Oweif Troup - Oushaq School of performing arts Palestinian Pottery Nishan Balian Raed Awad Raed Duzdar Raha Tours & Travel Ramallah Arak Company Rawdat Az-zuhur Association Samia Khoury St. Georges Hotel Taybeh Brewing Company Thaer Hamayel The Six Brothers Contracting Co. Tulip Saloon Zeina Nashashibi Ziad Khalaf * (Alphabetically listed)