Gaza benefit raises over 4m won

Belly dancers, hip hop artists and drummers were among those who performed to more than 200 guests at Club 500 in Hongdae, Seoul, on Saturday night to raise funds for civilians in war-torn Gaza.

The event and additional donations raised 4.19 million won ($3,068) for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Special Gaza Appeal. At least 50 percent of the Gazan population rely on UNRWA Food Aid.

Event organizer Belynda Azhaar said that she and co-organizer Kim Ji-yoon decided to hold the benefit to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"Like many people, we felt strongly about the images and data coming out of Gaza. We wanted to do something to help. After 10 days of following the recent conflict we thought, `Enough is enough, we have to do something,`" she said.

A report from the UNRWA stated that between Dec. 27, 2008 and Jan. 13, 2009 an estimated 971 Gazans were killed during the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Approximately $330 million is needed for urgent aid, and Azhaar and Kim hoped that the event would help to make a useful contribution to this.

<**1>

"One idea led to another and, before we knew it we had a huge performance event on our hands with all sorts of artists involved - spoken word artists, musicians, dancers and comedians," said Azhaar.

A small community of volunteers and artists from Korea, Malaysia, Australia, England, Ireland, America, Canada, Lebanon, Algeria and Jordan worked together to make the night a success. The mud-brick decor of Hongdae`s Club 500 gave the event a distinctive Middle Eastern feel.

Special performances of the traditional Levantine dance known as the dabke were among the highlights.

"The dabke is kind of like a family or community dance. It is also said to be a dance of solidarity. I guess you could say this is my way of showing my solidarity with the people of Palestine," said dabke performer Thency.

Kim stressed that she wanted the event to be relevant and informative.

"As with any benefit, it is rather important to take advantage of the opportunity to educate people. We wanted to encourage people to think and participate, despite the fact most people just want to be entertained."

Thency also emphasized that the event was non-political.

"First and foremost, Gaza is in a humanitarian crisis. The people need food, medical aid and shelter. This is what the benefit night is trying to address."

The night provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase the diverse range of performative talents in Seoul. Azhaar hoped that guests at the event were able to appreciate how music and dance can help to bridge differences.

"This event shows that it is possible for people from all cultures to come together for a good cause," Azhaar said.

By Jessica Carter and Kelly Royds



To comment on this article, e-mail mattlamers@heraldm.com - Ed.