'Casa Palestina' opens in Reus to strengthen cultural and social ties

The city of Reus has opened the second 'Casa Palestina' in Spain, a meeting space where the Palestinian community can strengthen and share cultural and social ties.

Following the example set in Zaragoza, this new center on Carrer Frederic Soler aims to become a hub for the approximately 500 Palestinians living in the Camp de Tarragona region.

According to Amina Shoman, president of the United Arab Palestinian Community in Tarragona, the center will host workshops on Palestinian cuisine, art, cinema, dance, and music, activities she views as an act of "resistance" in the face of the attacks they are enduring amid the war in Gaza.

Around 100 members of the Palestinian community in the Camp de Tarragona region gathered for the inauguration of the 'Casa Palestina' over the weekend.

The choice of Reus for the second 'Palestinian House' in all of Spain was no coincidence; the city has been a welcoming environment for Palestinian refugees.

Initially, about 80 people from Palestine lived in the Camp de Tarragona area, but the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip has led to aroud 500 Palestinians living there now.

The space is intended to serve as a "bridge" between cultures, while simultaneously strengthening everything connected to the Palestinian people.

To this end, workshops on cuisine, dance, music, art, and cinema will soon be organized.

For Shoman, passing on these cultural and social values ​​to the new generations is of paramount importance: "We do not want our children to forget their language, their roots, and their culture. They carry Palestinian culture within them, and we work to ensure they maintain it," she emphasized.

The Palestinian Ambassador, Fadi Elhusseini, highlighted to the Catalan News Agency the importance of such venues in fostering connections between cultures and denouncing the genocide being suffered by the Palestinian people.

"It is the best place to connect our history and culture. It is the best setting for building bridges between the two nations," he stated.

At the same time, he welcomed the national government's stance in recognizing the Palestinian state, a gesture he described as "essential."