Music Links

CADFA music links began in June 2006 when a group of Abu Dis schoolchildren and their teachers visited Camden Saturday Music and really enjoyed a group music session – and said they wished they had the opportunity to do such things at home. There is lots of music in Palestine of course, but no opportunity for group music teaching in any of the schools. Camden Education Links began to ask people for standing orders to contribute to the cost of a music teacher in Abu Dis, and Ahmed Eriqat began to teach one group a week, then two groups a week, and is currently teaching three groups a week after school in the Dar Assadaqa.

Music links broadened when musicians we had asked to perform in benefit for CADFA got interested in our work, and local groups of musicians worked to help us. In early 08, CADFA music links was officially launched with a pair of concerts and a music tour. In Camden, John Williams, Roger Vignoles, Mark Padmore, Attab Haddad and quartet, a trio of musicians who became known as the Saddaqa (Friendship) Trio, and Dr Abdullah from Abu Dis played a wonderful concert in January. In February, the Saddaqa Trio played a whole series of concerts in the schools and refugee camps in the West Bank, which were followed by another big and special concert in Abu Dis with the Camden band (who are from Abu Dis and include Ahmed Eriqat) and the Al-Quds University Group.

The Camden Band playing in London

During their tour, the Saddaqa trio helped to make links with music establishments in the West Bank, and now it is hoped to dedicate one of the rooms in the new Dar Assadaqa to musical activity, with the help of Ahmed Eriqat and peripatetic teachers from these other organisations. And while they were away, the Camden side of the music links developed still further, with mixed concerts by Camden bands and Abu Dis musicians in Camden venues.

These developments were enormously welcome to the young people and teachers in Abu Dis and were are a typical CADFA project – incorporating positive things from both east and west and recognising our common humanity. We were very excited when a dedicated music centre opened in Abu Dis with funding from France in 2011. This provides a great resource for young people in Abu Dis and Dar Assadaqa music sessions have closed. We are very happy to work with that centre (the Damaa Centre) on events within Abu Dis and are hoping to organise a visit to Britain with their young people (who often attend Dar Assadaqa for other things but go to Damaa for music).

The new Abu Dis music centre.

Music links archive