THE CAMP

Balata Refugee Camp is one of the most hardhit communities in the West Bank, Palestine. Refugees from the 1948 expulsion, over 30,000 residents, are crammed into a single suffocating square kilometre.

Unemployment is the norm, and most families rely on UNWRA handouts for survival. Daily 'visits' by Israeli military jeeps and tanks that park at the entrances and shoot into the camp are taken for granted. It is rare to meet somebody who hasn't tasted tear gas; every second boy seems to have been shot at some stage, and there isn't a house that the soldiers haven't entered.

Despite being the largest refugee camp in the West Bank, Balata receives very limited outside support. According to the Save the Children fund, there are 2 doctors and 1 dentist servicing the needs of the people in Balata. Visitors are rare and links to abroad are practically non-existent.

THE INSTALLATION

The Balata Refugee Camp installation is composed of pictures, sound, childrens art, photos, film, stories and video and audio interviews. The content is determined by the people of the camp, and is intended to both represent life here and bring a message to people in the 'West'. The tour aims to raise awareness about the complex and desperate situation in the refugee camps, spur viewers into action and build links between people and organisations in Balata camp and others outside. These connections will hopefully lead to increased visits and new projects such as a library and cultural centre.

MORE INFO

The Balata project has been brought to England from Palestine by Mika Minio-Paluello and Kelly Bornshlegel. They have been living in and around the Balata Camp area since the summer of 2003 - to read of their experiences in Palestine, visit their websites at:
 http://www.madison-rafah.org/correspond.html
 http://www.notesfrompalestine.net

To read more about the Balata project and how you could be involved in hosting it, go to:
 http://www.minio.co.uk/balata.htm