Freedom Songs - Palestine: Workshop and final event, University of Padova, 21-22 March 2025

The Freedom Songs student project stems from the desire to reaffirm the fundamental value of freedom in this historical period, combining the artistic possibilities of choral art with the power of History.

The project consists of a thematic study and rehearsal of some choral pieces to build an international repertoire of freedom songs, both in times of war (such as resistance songs) and in times of peace, to explore some historical episodes of the last century. The aim of this journey is not only related to learning and performing different musical pieces, but also - and above all - to "train" a posture of encounter and openness to the Other, informed and critical thinking about historical and current events, and reflection on the various forms of resistance and defense of freedom that we, as citizens, can implement. The project is structured in workshops with corresponding in-depth sessions, for the construction of a "Freedom" themed repertoire with a final concert. Each workshop will have a repertoire from a geographical area relevant to the instructor leading it. 

The March workshop on Palestine will be held on March 21 (18:30 - 21:30) and March 22 (9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00), where some traditional Palestinian songs will be taught to participants by Mathilde Vittu, director of Amwaj Choir.

On Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 18:30, the final event of the Freedom Songs workshop will be held in Aula Nievo (Palazzo Bo) in Padua, where the pieces from the workshop will be presented.

The final event is open to the public and aims to conclude the workshop aimed at students on March 21 and 22. The workshop and the final event will be held in Italian. 

During the conference, some false myths about the Palestinian issue will also be addressed, and Amnesty's report "You feel like you are subhuman: Israel's genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza" will be presented.

Speakers:
Pietro De Perini, Professor of International Relations at the University of Padua;
Tina Marinari, Campaign Coordinator of Amnesty International Italy.

The main purpose of the conference is to familiarize participants with the circumstances in which the freedom songs studied in the Freedom Songs - Palestine choral workshop were born, and through Palestinian music, create a moment of reunion and rapprochement, in a climate of growing dehumanization.

The event is co-organized by Amnesty International Padua and Corollario Unipd with the patronage of the "A.Papisca" Human Rights Center and the Arqus Alliance - Padua.

To participate in the final event, registration is required at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.it/e/freedom-songs-palestina-evento-finale-tickets-1279342992329?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Students interested in taking part in the workshop on March 21 and 22, 2025, are advised that they can register by Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Additionally, there will be another workshop focusing on Spain, which will be held on April 4 and 5, 2025, and registration is also possible. For both workshops, registrations are open at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMWnChLCZwlDF1CIPiCPzf9_shTt2tlBZ4LB55jE_uV8ufqg/viewform?usp=send_form