Art festival explores Palestinian right of return

Ramallah, occupied West Bank – For the majority of Palestinians, the concept of “return” is intrinsically linked to the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees in the diaspora.

There are approximately eight million Palestinians who are “forcibly displaced persons”, according to the BADIL Resource Centre, a Palestinian NGO. However, on both national and international levels there remains a lack of political will and tangible action towards redressing the issue.

Amid this grim reality, the third edition of the Qalandiya International contemporary arts biennial has taken place across historic Palestine and internationally.

Although Qalandiya International explores concepts of “return” in various Palestinian and international contexts – which is particularly significant amid a global refugee crisis – the biennial’s curatorial statement begins with the question: “Can a word carry the cure to all the ailments, both past and present, of a tragedy? For us Palestinians, return has become the core antithesis to our Nakba.”