THE CITY'S SONG

Two musicians from Ghent and a photographer/cameraman left for Palestine en brought a song as a gift.  In Ramallah they met singer-songwriters and musicians. Together they made a current musical and visual portret of their City.

The City’s Song looks for contrasts between the poetic reality of the poet and the naked reality of a documentary maker. It implements cooperation and exchange and brings an almost journalistic story, with music as language and image as carrier.  Earlier, Mexico-City was visited  and also in Ghent sessions were recorded with including, Bruno Deneckere, Fahti, Eva and Kapinga Gysel,…The result of that quest  was a number of authentic recordings and concerts, a photo exhibition and a documentary film. For the episode Ramallah the musicians Thomas Noël and Wouter Vandenabeele and photographer Sammy Vancauteren left for Palestine to meet with the musicians Shadi Zaqtan, Faris Shomali, Noor Alraee and Azza Zarour. These (and who knows a few other) musicians will – via Amman- return to Belgium  to finish in musical beauty in De Centrale.

Thomas Noël: piano & guitar
Wouter Vandenabeele: violin
François Taillefer: percussion
Shadi Zaqtan (Bel3ax): vocals, guitar
Faris Shomali: zang, flute, electronics
Noor Alraee: oed
Azza Zarour: oed, vocals
Sammy Van Cauteren: photography, video
With special thanks to Zina Zarour: coördinatie in Ramallah

This project came into being in cooperation with Frontiera vzw/Tactiqs and is part of the Eye on Palestine  Arts and Film Festival ( 6th ed)

The 6th edition of the Eye on Palestine Arts and Film festival brings a tantalizing mix of leading Palestine-related films and art. The festival will take place from  22nd of April till 29th of April  2016 on different locations in Ghent.
As opener of the festival we go the cullinary way with the makers of The Gaza Kitchen, with as icing on the cake, poetry of Fatena Al-Ghorra.
We also have the premier of the poetic docu Recollection, the haunting film 3000 nights and Mars at sunrise a beautiful work of political fiction. The festival ends with  Kamilya Jubran, a concert where  poetry, emotion and political engagement find themselves in an ideal where borders within cultures and politics and genres do not matter. For the entire program, please visit www. eyeonpalestine.be