Wadi al salib
"During one of those days when I first moved to Haifa, which is a city that is thriving to regain its position as the premiere Palestinian cultural center, I was on my way to the Ein Gallery. There was a movie premiere about Palestinians in south America.. while walking I've decided to take a shortcut {at least in my brain). I was walking down a stairs going through various unpaved paths until I've reached a tent that was erected within an open space present between four abandoned buildings. There was a weird silence in the air, and I've felt that this place had a story, however I was in a hurry and I didn't want to miss the movie. I was lucky because I've arrived on time, on the wrong day however. The owners of the place were so kind to allow me stay and watch the movie of the day even though it was for free.
وادي الصليب
بيوم من الايام فترة اول ما انتقلت لمدينة حيفا، و التي هي عم تستعيد مكانتها كمركز ثقافي فلسطيني، كنت ذاهب لمعرض العين، كان في عرض لفلم عن الجالية الفلسطينية بأمريكا الجنوبية.. و انا ماشي قررت آخذ طريق مختصر "حسب خارطتي الذهنية" بديت انزل ادراج و ادخل بممرات غير معبدة لحد ما وصلت على خيمة منصوبة بمساحة مفتوحة بين أربع مباني مهجورة. كان في هدوء غريب بالهواء و شعرت اني بمكان له قصة، لكني وقتها كنت بحاول اصل المعرض باسرع وقت ممكن. كنت محظوظ لأني وصلت ع الوقت الصح باليوم الغلط، و من طيبة منظمي المهرجان ما تركوني اطلع الا و انا حاضر فلم اليوم و حتى و لو من دون مقابل..
A couple of weeks later, I will go to watch a conversation and a discussion about Urban planning and Wadi al Salib, obviously as soon as I read the title of the event. I started researching the place which contains an infinite amount of knowledge. The story of this place dates back to the Ottoman period when people were allowed to build outside the city walls which were getting overcrowded (19th century). Many people of diverse backgrounds lived there, because it was close to the city center and the railway. It's original inhabitants were banished from their homes through the port, and were displaced by Mizrahi Jews who started a movement against discrimination which they were suffering from at the time . As a response the government relocated the inhabitants of this neighborhood again and it has been abandoned ever since.
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| فن الشارع قرب العين |
Many proposals and suggestions were made to revive the place. Some suggested turning the place into a museum or an artists colony like the one in jerusalem.. however what is happening now is that the land authorities have sold many of its properties to private investors, moreover some of it's sites have been demolished or altered and the street names were changed, or simply gentrified.
A while ago an alternative planning workshop was organized, with the aim of saving this place. which actually has the potential of becoming a world heritage site. During the workshop we talked about privatization, and our relationship with the place, and democratic spaces.. Many interesting suggestions came forth some proposed a turkish artisanal market or a cultural center, even a community center which could secure the profit and longevity of the place. We felt positive while exiting the reunion however I couldn't help but think that it is an uphill battle and the first step is participation, and the more the people the better, and if a reasonable number of people stood against these plans we would have a real chance of making a change.
طرحت العديد من المحاولات و الاقتراحات لإعادة الحياة للمكان، في ناس اقترحت أنه يتحول لمتحف او باحة فنانين.. لكن البحصل حاليا هو انه سلطة املاك الغائبين باعت العديد من عقاراته لمستثمرين اسرائيلين و تم هدم بعض مبانيه او البناء عليها و غير أسماء شوارعه و باختصار صار في طمس و استطباق (1) للمكان.
قبل فترة من الزمن نظمت حركة شباب حيفا ورشة تخطيط بديل، هدفها كان انقاذ هذا المكان العنده المقومات الازمة ليكون موقع تراث عالمي على لائحة منظمة الامم المتحدة للتربية و العلم و الثقافة (اليونسكو)، في الورشة حكينا عن خصخصة الوطن، العلاقة مع المكان، الحيز العادل..الخ صار في اقتراحات حلوة من المشاركين مثل عمل سوق شعبي أو مركز ثقافي و عمل جمعية لا ربحية بتوفر خدمات حسب الطلب، خرجنا بانطباع ايجابي لكني ما بقدر انكر انّا بنواجه تحدي عكس مجرى الرياح، مع ذلك المشاركة و التوعية هما الخطوة الأولى و الاهم بهذا النوع من الامور و كل ما وعينا ناس اكثر عالموضوع كل ما زادت قوتنا، و اذا شارك عدد جدي من المواطنين الواعين ممكن يصير تغير.
7/10/2019
There are many activists and urban planners trying to save what's left yet many buildings have been demolished and the right wing lobby objectifies all the actions for conservation. The current planning system tries to conceal this hidden identity not knowing the opportunities it can have for conserving such a place not only for the local arab population but for regional peace and convivence.
This place has a daunting history and it might be difficult to think that the solution is demolishing it, it has an amazing location close to the city center and all the key areas, however those building form a part within the collective memory of the population it must be revived, it somehow reminds me of the city Coliseum in Barranquilla the old Humberto Perea yet it much more complex and the scale is even bigger, there are so many buildings and villas that need attention however systematic segregation makes it impossible to take action, hopefully it stays within our lifetime.
1/24/2022
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