After a two-year hiatus enforced by Israel's war on Gaza and a broad halt to cultural life, the Ramallah Contemporary Arts Festival is back, resuming events for the first time since October 2023 with an expanded programme showcasing new art forms.
"We carry on" is the defiant slogan on display at the Ramallah Cultural Palace to signal the return of one of the West Bank's most significant arts festivals, despite escalating violence, Israeli military raids and settler attacks in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
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Renamed the "Ramallah Festival for Contemporary Arts" after years being known as the "Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival" is for the event's executive director Khaled Ayyan, an important shift in its identity.
The change is aimed at broadening the festival’s scope so that, alongside contemporary dance, it also features theatre, circus, video art and installation art, while keeping contemporary dance as a central pillar of the programme.
Ayyan stressed that culture and the arts have historically played an important role in Palestinian society, as they reflect cultural identity and offer space for expression and creativity. He expressed regret that cultural life in the West Bank had been forcibly brought to a halt over the past two years.
He added that many organisers of cultural events had decided to suspend their activities in solidarity with Palestinians who have lived through displacement and constant danger as a result of Israeli air strikes.
The war in Gaza was sparked in 2023 when Hamas militants attacked an Israeli music event and killed nearly 1200 people and took hundreds of others hostage.
Dance and debut performances
The festival opened with the musical play "Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah", based on the famous Arab epic that recounts the story of the Bani Hilal tribe. It was performed by the Palestinian troupe Khashaba Theatre, based in the city of Haifa, in the work’s first staging inside the Palestinian territories after a tour of several European countries.
Oud player and composer Habib Shahadeh said the shutdown the cultural sector had experienced over the past two years had been harsh, leaving a deep mark on the Palestinian cultural scene and on cultural identity.
He added that cultural and artistic projects seek to strengthen and develop identity and a sense of belonging at a time when they face major challenges that hinder cultural exchange and production.
Secondary-school Arabic teacher Ola Hanna, travelled with her family from the Arab town of al-Rama in the Upper Galilee, north of the city of Acre, to see the opening performance and described it as a qualitative leap thanks to its blend of music, acting and language.
"Without music and joy, there is no life for me," said Hanna. She also expressed hope that Palestinian cultural life would regain the vibrancy it had before the war.
Art under attack
Art critic Yusef al-Shayeb said that hosting a festival of this scale after a two-year break, and expanding its programme to include all forms of contemporary performing arts, is an achievement given the situation in the Palestinian territories.
He added that the West Bank faces daily challenges, including settler attacks, tighter restrictions on roads and checkpoints and ongoing Israeli military operations. In his view, the decision to continue organising cultural events in such circumstances shows how determined those working in the cultural sector are to keep artistic activity going and maintain its presence.
The Ramallah Contemporary Arts Festival continues until 16 July 2026.
It also hosts the Palestine Arts Forum, which brings together 22 artists, cultural programmers and arts organisations from 15 countries.
