How This Generation Are Reviving Haifa's Palestinian Culture

“For centuries, Haifa has been defined by a vibrant Arab culture,” says Lena Mansour. “But for Palestinian Arabs like myself, our recent history has been scarred by the destruction of our ancestors’ urban life, by land separation, and by marginalisation within Israeli society.”

Lena, a Palestinian cultural activist, grew up in the traditional city of Tira. A decade ago she made the move to Haifa, where she now works in cultural management and writes freelance. She is also a co-founder of the Haifa Independent Film Festival.

Lena tells us: “Today, about 10% of Haifa’s community is Palestinian. For many of us, our country’s complex and painful history has led to a refusal to integrate fully within Israeli society, and fuels our desire to keep Palestinian culture alive.” She believes that art, music, and culture, are “some of the strongest tools of non-violent resistance in the context of occupation.”

Contemporary Haifa has transmogrified into a hub for activists, musicians, actors, filmmakers and all manner of multidisciplinary artists. “What we aim for here in Haifa is total independence, and to build a socio-political movement that rejects all forms of governmental funding and control.”

She tells Boiler Room: “Palestine’s city centers have always been relatively open-minded and secular, leading to a diverse, colourful society.” Far from outdated ideas of what life in the region looks and feels like, Lena asserts that as a 31 year-old woman working in cultural production, she lives within an autonomous community whose members have created spaces which accepts all lifestyles, genders and sexual preferences.

As part of our Contemporary Scenes series, we asked Lena to run us through a few of the most important initiatives that are changing the cultural landscape of her city.

Haifa Independent Film Festival

I’ve been proud to be involved with this project since its inception in 2015, working alongside some of my closest friends. Having seen Palestinian and Arab films take place in festivals across the world, it made sense to create our own at home. Our fundamental vision is to empower the homegrown Palestinian movie industry, providing a platform in Haifa and beyond for both Palestinian and Arab filmmakers.

The festival takes place in March, and provides a local screen for Palestinian cinema as well as film from the rest of the Arab world. Independent of institutional or governmental interference, HIFF has become one of the biggest cultural events in Haifa. Our entire community gets involved in the programme, and attends screenings, panel discussions and workshops. There are great parties too of course - our nightlife culture is like nowhere else. It’s an inspiring week that has really put Haifa on the map of the Arab cultural world, and allows attendees to enjoy storytelling from Palestine, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Africa.

HIFF is also supported by Jazar Crew, a DIY music and art collective who feature in Boiler Room’s new documentary Palestine Underground. Ten years ago, we didn’t really have any parties to go to. Jazar were integral in starting an alternative scene in Haifa, and helped spread it to Yaffa, Jerusalem, and Ramallah. From their early small parties with local bands and DJs, Jazar have grown into pioneers of the electronic dance music here, while supporting all Palestinian artists aligned with their underground ideology.

Kabareet

In 2015, Ayed Fadel (pictured above) and Tamer Kais of Jazar founded Kabareet along with Wisam Kais; you can find me there on most Thursday or Friday nights. Kabareet is one of the city’s most important Palestinian venues, and one of my favorite places to go out in Haifa. DJs and artists from around the world have played there - Nicolas Jaar, Kutmah, Jus Ed - giving them the chance to perform in Haifa’s Palestinian spaces with local DJs and musicians, as an alternative to Tel Aviv. It’s also an important space for poetry, performance art and independent film.

Mahrajaz Alternative Jazz Festival

Kabareet has opened doors for the young Palestinian community and inspired them to start their own initiatives. One of the amazing projects inspired by Kabareet is the Mahrajazz Haifa Alternative Jazz Festival. Founded in 2017, it brings some of the best up-and-coming performers from the international contemporary jazz scene to Haifa. One of the festival’s organisers, Adam Haj Yahya, told me it started out of a “fantasy to have a jazz scene.” They didn’t just want to create culture under occupation, “but about enhancing Palestinian culture with a community that would help it expand while creating collaborations between local and international jazz artists,” Haj Yahya adds. Irrespective of your thoughts on contemporary jazz, Mahrajazz has undeniably brought a new vibe to the city.

Manjm Art Lab

The past few years have seen Haifa open its doors to many more exciting new projects. Manjm Art Lab is a non-commercial art space founded to stimulate contemporary creation, interdisciplinary exhibition projects and critical theory. It hosts curators, artists, and people eager to create ideas that blossom in a historical Palestinian venue. Manjm is now being transformed into a cooperative ownership by a large group interested in maintaining the space alive. This step is important, as Palestinian cultural organisations have always been hesitant to start up due to budgetary restraints and a lack of institutional support. Manjm’s co-op status will hopefully motivate more to take similar steps.

By Lena Mansour

A part of Contemporary Scenes, a Boiler Room series uncovering underground collectives, artists and subcultures from across the world.