The reporting period was marked by the start of an organic, complementary relationship between the AMQF Culture and Arts Programme (CAP) and Public Programme. The latter has begun to prove itself as a main AMQF programme and a key player in cultural life. This relationship is grounded in an ongoing communication, open dialogue and mutual support with a view to achieving the best results.
This report provides a review of the key activities implemented the CAP in 2016-17.
A review of the CAP operations and events reveals significantly developing and growing interventions, which have increasingly focused on capacity building, expanding the Programme’s partnership base, and engaging in large-scale joint events, such as the Qalandiya International Festival and Music Expo. The CAP also continued to organise and develop key programmes, including the Young Artist of the Year Award (YAYA) and Young Writer of the Year Award (YWYA), offer various grants, and recruit new grant projects.
During the reporting period, the CAP organised the 9th edition of YAYA 2016. Dutch Curator Nat Muller was commissioned to lead YAYA 2016 and supervise development, production and presentation of the artworks of nine young artists, who participated in the 3rd edition of the Qalandiya International Festival, 5-31 October 2016. With Al-Awdah [Return] as its key theme, the Qalandiya International Festival brought together 15 institutions from Ramallah, Haifa, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza, London, Amman and Beirut. In this period, the CAP published and organised launching events for the winning literary works in the YWYA 2015.
In its 3rd edition, the Qalandiya International Festival went a long way towards developing broad-based partnerships and expanding into more geographies. The CAP has established this event within the fabric of institutional settings and cultural life in Palestine as well as on the international calendar of visual arts. The CAP has also contributed to organising and supporting the 1st edition of the Palestine Music Expo Festival, which signals a new and outstanding addition to the cultural scene in Palestine. In particular, the Music Expo Festival has promoted music industry, opening new horizons to, and connecting, Palestinian musicians and musical experiences to the broader music scene.
The CAP agreed with its partners, namely Goethe Institut, Consulate General of France and Filmlab Palestine, to organise Ramallah Doc biannually to allow an opportunity for filmmakers and producers to submit more mature and better quality projects. In this context, in cooperation with Filmlab Palestine, the CAP organised a focused workshop on photo management. The training brought together over 15 specialists who aspired to boost their career in photo management in Palestine.