Learn the story behind El-Hakawati building
Restore & Transform to a theatrical beacon
The story of founding “El Hakawati” theatre is one of a kind. It runs back to 1983 when the troupe of Abu Salem rented the burnt down “Nuzha” Cinema in the heart of East Jerusalem, which was then regulated under the Jordanian law, and was considered the cultural capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and was also located right across the street from the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, the theatre of “El Hakawati” witnessed a number of downs before it saw the light in 1983, as it was bombed by an air missile in the war of 1967, leading it to its first period of decline, not long before it was burned down again by religious fundamentalists on the basis of rumors claiming it played erotic films. Shortly thereafter, the theatre’s site unfortunately became a public dump where, local legends stated, illegal activities took place.
“El Hakawati” was promised a new fate, however, as the Troup of “Abu Salem” decided to get hold of it to miraculously transform this deserted cinema, within six months, into a world class theatre that opened its gates wide to the world in May, 1984. In the following years, and under the leadership of “El Hakawati”, the theatre had functionally become, not only the most prominent theatre in Jerusalem, but also Palestine’s most sought after theatrical space, and its shining face to the world.
Support El-Hakawati building Infrastructure
Since the end of the twentieth century, the buildings of the El Hakawati Theatre stand high to host hundreds of activities, seminars, and community activities of artistic, social, and intellectual touch. These halls represent a scope of communication between different generations through arts and the way they intertwine.
Help is needed to renovate the halls of the El Hakawati theatre by providing the needed maintenance as they currently experience serious problems that stand in the Theatre’s way to host important events.