In 1987, at the time of the first Intifada, Juliano Mer-Khamis’s mother Arna established a cultural institution for children in the Jenin refugee camp to give them the space to grow and express themselves under such extreme circumstances. In 2002 one of the theaters she founded was destroyed in the Battle of Jenin. Her story is chronicled in the riveting documentary, Arna’s Children. Today, when a third Intifada is imminent, Juliano says it is the role of artists to set the foundation and values of a society under occupation so that weapons and violence are not viewed as the only means of resistance. As one of the young actors says in Arna’s Children, “now we feel that we have something to live for.”

In this roundtable discussion Mer Khamis is joined by Dr. Mervat Ayiash, The Freedom Theater’s chairperson, and Alisa Solomon, Director, Arts & Culture, M.A. Program at Columbia’s School of Journalism.