Al-Kasaba Theatre
Encyclopedia
Al-Kasaba Theatre is a cinema in the city of Ramallah
in the West Bank
. It was established in 1970 for playwrights and eventually began presenting films. Al-Kasaba is the only official multipurpose cinema in the Palestinian territories
.
Early 2002 the theatre hosted Nobel Literature Prize laureates Wole Soyinka
and Jose Saramago
. A few weeks later, during the April 2002 invasion of Ramallah, the theatre was targeted by the Israeli army. The offices of the theatre were ransacked, and files and computers destroyed.
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. It was established in 1970 for playwrights and eventually began presenting films. Al-Kasaba is the only official multipurpose cinema in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
.
History
Al-Kasaba was originally established in Jerusalem in 1970 as the Theatre Arts Group. In 1984, it was renamed Shawk Theatre. In 1989 it was renovated to host films. In 1998, the renovation of Al-Jameel Cinema in Ramallah, which closed-down in 1987, became Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque. The cinema opened in 2000 and is one of the few venues in the region that allows Palestinian artists, actors and filmmakers to produce and present their productions.Early 2002 the theatre hosted Nobel Literature Prize laureates Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
and Jose Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
. A few weeks later, during the April 2002 invasion of Ramallah, the theatre was targeted by the Israeli army. The offices of the theatre were ransacked, and files and computers destroyed.
See also
- Palestinian National TheatrePalestinian National TheatreThe Palestinian National Theatre is a Palestinian-owned theatre in Jerusalem's American Colony neighbourhood, near New Orient House. The theatre has been serving to actively encourage and promote Palestinian artistic and cultural activities and collaborates with the Palestinian ministry of...
- Cinema JeninCinema JeninCinema Jenin is a movie theater in the Palestinian city of Jenin, located in the West Bank.The new building features plush seating that can accommodating over 300 people, an outdoor cafe, art gallery space, a children's park and playground, and a library that is sponsored by the German...