Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Occupation! A game of life.


Embrace Palestine Wall

Embrace the Middle East: Occupation! A game of life.

Greenbelt associate partners Embrace The Middle East write:
‘Tackling poverty and injustice’ is at the heart of everything Embrace the Middle East stands for. Today, in the very places where Jesus himself stood in solidarity with disadvantaged people, poverty and injustice remain intertwined; a web from which it is almost impossible to escape.
This year, our installation in the Centaur foyer aims to give a glimpse of the challenges faced by ordinary Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. As we celebrate Greenbelt’s anniversary with the theme ‘Life begins’, we also want to remember those for whom life is permanently on hold.
Occupation! is an interactive floor game for all ages. Roll the dice and make your way through checkpoints and challenges, permit denials and poverty. On your journey, you’ll learn about the issues affecting the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza and find out how you can help Embrace the Middle East to make a positive difference to the lives of marginalised people.
Embrace works in partnership with Christian-led organisations in the Middle East to provide education, healthcare and community development projects to people denied opportunities to provide for themselves. From supplying fruit trees to farmers whose olive groves have been confiscated, to setting up mobile clinics in refugee camps, we and our partners are passionate about alleviating poverty and advocating for justice.
We’ll be in Centaur and G-source throughout Greenbelt weekend, and our CEO, Jeremy Moodey, is speaking in the Jenin venue at 5pm on Sunday about his unlikely career change ‘From investment banker to activist’. Our wonderful volunteer team will also be out and about across the site and there might even be some unseasonable carol singing in the sunshine. We’d love to meet you, so do call in at our stands or say hello to anyone wearing an Embrace t-shirt!
Though we hope you’ll have fun playing Occupation!, its message is a serious one. After the game, you can walk freely away. But in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, injustice continues to weave through the fabric of Palestinian life. Join us as we embrace the work of our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters in their determination to be agents of change.