We go a little off the UK track, as we responded to the signs in front of us. Through our dear friend and Dance Al Fresco DJ Youssef Boutayeb, we were led to the work of CADFA, Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association led by Human Rights lawyer Nandita Dowson. Youssef is a super connector, who works deeply in his local borough, bridging many worlds across music, cultures and communities.
CADFA works in the UK to promote awareness about the human rights situation in Palestine. Starting in 2003 when people from the London borough of Camden made links with people in Abu Dis a town in the Jerusalem suburb. Within their core work, they organise exchange programmes with the young people of Jerusalem.
As a perfect connection to our ‘Why Dance?’ series with Andrew Cuerden, we explore with dance teacher Tamara, and her friend and colleague Sara (and at times translator) what dance means to their culture, how it infiltrates life, and right now amongst the rubble and war, what dance brings them on the ground in such a difficult time.
As Andrew talks into, this is not a political podcast. However as we’re all experiencing politics influences everything in all of our lives.
This podcast is a conversation between Andrew, Tamara and Sara and Human Rights Lawyer and CADFA CEO Nandita Dowson, who has enabled us a window of time in which we can meet and interview Tamara and Sara.
As we all, Carmen, Youssef and Andrew, sat through the recording of this episode, we felt extremely moved and touched by Tamara and Sara and their way of expressing all things culture, life and hope.
We don’t want to reduce their words to ours, or indeed paraphrase their emotions to diminish what you might feel as you listen to their stories.
For this reason, we just ask you to listen to this episode with curiosity about what life might be like for the women in Jerusalem and how dance changes our worlds.
Following the recording, we joined CADFA for a beautifully open dinner where we felt welcomed with open arms. A symbolism of the culture in itself. We left moved and emotional, as we went about our usual evening, feeling blessed to have met them all and privileged to hear their stories.
For more information on CADFA check them out here, and see how you might want to engage or support their work. For obvious reasons we haven’t used their surnames or images of Tamara and Sara but if you’d like to connect, then please do email CADFA.
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