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Summary
Jerusalems historical landmark of Tomb of the Kings vibrated to the beats of Gypsy music as it ushered the opening night of the Jerusalem Festival. The festival, which celebrates Jerusalem as this years capital for Arab culture, is organised by the Jerusalem Foundation and is intended to revive cultural life in the ancient city and bring it out of isolation. The programme features different events for 10 days with participation from 11 bands, five of which are renown internationally and six are Palestinian bands with new productions, said Rania Elias, director of the Jerusalem Foundation, which runs the program in co-operation with the French consulate. An audience member, Nadira Qabani, said more events like this need to take place in the city. Jerusalem needs a festival like this one and it needs a band like this because we are living under psychological depression, Qabani said. There is no event like this for us to attend, so I can't tell you how happy I am feeling.
