Summary
The Freedom Bus will engage thousands of Palestinians and internationals in a solidarity ride through the West Bank. An ensemble of artists will enact personal accounts of community members affected by decades of occupation and oppression. The Freedom Bus will use art to raise awareness, heal trauma, and build networks of solidarity, while invigorating non-violent, creative forms of civil resistance and human rights advocacy.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?
Generations of Palestinians, living under military occupation, have been denied their most basic human rights and have faced ongoing oppression and humiliation. Palestinian communities are largely isolated from each other and from the rest of the world, which contributes to feelings of marginalization and hopelessness. Occupation, isolation and military violence have resulted in high levels of individual and collective trauma, affecting children and youth particularly harshly.

How will this project solve this problem?
The Freedom Bus will initiate a process of trauma healing by responding to the fundamental human need to share one’s story and have it acknowledged and honored. The project will create profound links of solidarity between Palestinian communities as well as with the world and put a spotlight on the daily realities of people living under discriminatory structures, promoting their human rights. It will also create a bank of testimonies to be used for advocacy purposes.

Potential Long Term Impact
Engaging sixteen Palestinian communities over a nine-month period, as well as thousands of international participants and online spectators, the Freedom Bus will help overcome the fragmentation and isolation of Palestinian communities. By addressing traumas the project will enhance the psychosocial health of community members and by bringing global attention to the daily realities of life in Palestine it will contribute towards an end to the injustices committed against the Palestinian people.

Project Message
Those who ride for and with Palestinians answer the call for global solidarity, and demand a free Palestine. We all must heed that call.
– Judith Butler, Author, Philosopher, endorser of the Freedom Bus

Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $1,590
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $73,410
Total Funding Goal: $75,000

Additional Documentation
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources
http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org
The Freedom Bus website
The Freedom Bus Twitter account
The Freedom Bus Facebook page
The Freedom Theatre website