Bringing Palestine to Edinburgh Fringe: Crowdfunder launched
A crowdfunder has been launched to help bring 16 Palestinian artists to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Creative Scotland has pledged to partially match the funds if the campaign reaches its £30,000 target. With the deadline just two weeks away, organisers are urging people to support however they’re able to.
Fida Ataya performing at Welcome To The Fringe in 2015.
By Samar Jamal | Photo by David Monteith-Hodge.
“Many Palestinian artists have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank over the last year, and many others have been arrested by Israel because of their art,” Palestinian artist and academic Farah Saleh explains.
Saleh is one of the artists in the small self-organised team urging support for a crowdfunding initiative that would bring 16 Palestinian artists to the Edinburgh Fringe. The initiative will “offer a safe space for Palestinian artists to present their work, network and see performances, but most importantly it will allow audiences in Scotland to see Palestinian art and learn from it”, she adds.
While art has always been a powerful force for storytelling, resistance, and connection, for Palestinian artists, the ability to share their work is often obstructed by censorship, visa denials, and systemic barriers. Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine seeks to change this and help combat the ongoing dehumanisation of Palestinians.
Read more: Seven reparations, one reckoning: Farah Saleh’s embodied call for justice in Palestine
The crowdfunding target of £30,000 will support the artists to showcase their work from 11-14 August at the Edinburgh Fringe, which will showcase theatre, dance, comedy, food, storytelling, music and literature from Palestine and the diaspora.
With just two weeks left and £10,000 still needed to reach their target, the group are urging people to support them however they can, through donations or simply by sharing the fund. If they do reach their target, Creative Scotland, has pledged to match the initial £10,000 raised.
Funds will help cover the costs of flights, accommodations, visa applications, Fringe registration – which costs between £96 to £295 – technical equipment, venue costs, volunteer expenses, technical crew costs, documentation and marketing.
To boost their efforts, the group are also hosting a ceilidh fundraiser at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall on 23 February and encouraging supporters to join.
Writer and poet Henry Bell, who is also actively involved in the initiative, emphasises the importance of solidarity with Palestinians, stating, “All of us have a duty to stand with Palestinians, to raise up their voices and to listen to what they have to say.”
Bell further highlights how this initiative offers a tangible way to show support, explaining: “This project is a very direct way that you can do that, sharing Palestinian art and culture with the world and taking a stand against apartheid and oppression. Whether you can donate, volunteer during the festival, offer accommodation to Palestinian artists, or just pass the fundraiser on to friends and family, it is going to take hundreds of us to contribute and make this happen”
If you are interested in donating to Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine or helping spread the word, you can visit the crowdfunding page here.