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Sunday 29th Nov 2015 at 13:00

Followed by a discussion led by the film's director: Gregory Metcalfe

Part road movie, part performance video, part travelogue. WORDS:WALLS is a trip through the scarred landscapes of the West Bank with a group of artists – including two of Scottish poetry’s leading lights: Liz Lochhead (the Makar) and William Letford – as they encounter the many and varied forms which resistance takes.

They left having barely glimpsed the struggle that is existence in modern day Palestine. Each had seen enough, though, to change their view of the world irrevocably.

Celebrating 35 years of twinning

In November 1980 the cities of Dundee and Nablus formally agreed to become twin cities. Our celebration this year is a collaboration with Dundee Contemporary Arts to show this interesting film. It uses the twinning between Glasgow and Bethlehem to explore life in modern Palestine.

See also Sarah Irving's review of the film.
or watch the trailer
or follow the film on Twitter.

Architect and ambassador

Naseer Arafat is an internationally respected architect , development and planning specialist and an ambassador for Nablus. He is the author of an impressive book Nablus – City of Civilisations (2012) documenting the architecture and development of Nablus. He promotes Nablus and Palestine to a world-wide audience.

Naseer was invited to deliver a lecture at the University of Dundee in October on the historical development of urban spaces within the Old City of Nablus.

Alister Rutherford, DNTA Vice-Convener, presented a copy of Naseer's book to the Lord Provost of Dundee, Bob Duncan. The beautifully illustrated book is also available in Dundee City Library for all to see.

In a meeting with DNTA members in Dundee City Chambers, Naseer described life in Nablus under occupation.

At Dundee University, Naseer's talk, hosted by the Department of the Environment, was very well received by an audience of students, academics and members of the public. Illustrated with a rapid-fire succession of evocative photographs, the presentation described the development of the city over five centuries and, illustrating how architecture and social relations interact, explored how private spaces such as intimate courtyards, particularly for women, were created within the public areas of the city.

The lecture was part of the international outreach of the University of Dundee's Cities as Thinking Machines exhibition. Naseer demonstrated how his native city has responded to the social, economic and environmental factors that determine urban design

Naseer's talk to DNTA members at Dundee City Chambers dealt with life in Nablus under occupation. A comprehensive portrayal of the suffering and impact of the recent years, it made a great impression on those present. Nabulsis live with the daily humiliations and annoyances inflicted by the Israeli army along with constant harassment, house demolitions and imprisonment without trial .

Naseer has been closely involved with one of Nablus' other twin cities, Stavanger in Norway, Based on his experiences with Stavanger, Naseer offered us many ideas for our future activities both in Dundee and in Nablus.