Within the framework of the Federal Foreign Office’s “Future for Palestine” initiative, the Drama Academy Ramallah opens today (1 October) in Ramallah. This is the first drama school to independently provide a complete theatre training in the Palestinian territories. The patrons of the Drama Academy Ramallah are Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who will attend today’s opening.

The Drama Academy Ramallah’s first year intake will consist of 13 drama students who were selected from 70 applicants. The students will complete a three-year drama course and obtain a bachelor’s degree. The aim is to improve their career prospects in the Palestinian territories as well as in neighbouring Arab countries.

The project was made possible by the cooperation between the Federal Foreign Office, the Mercator Foundation, the Al-Kasaba Theatre and Folkwang University.

Through the “Future for Palestine” initiative, which Federal Minister Steinmeier launched together with Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad in January 2008, the Federal Foreign Office is supporting people in the Palestinian territories. The idea is that concrete projects with an immediate impact will improve their prospects in the long term – especially those of young Palestinians. “Future for Palestine” complements traditional development cooperation activities and is designed to be run not just by the two governments but in cooperation with civil society. To date, the Federal Foreign Office has provided more than 2.4 million euro in project funding for the initiative. The focus is on education and culture.