Shareef Sarhan On Location
“To take that which has been destroyed and turn it into a literal ‘beacon’ of hope is very powerful.”
Aida refugee camp lives in the shadow of the Israeli separation wall. The camp is over crowded, with no space for children to play. Young people vent their frustration by throwing stones at Israeli watchtowers and into the neighbouring army camp.
Israeli soldiers respond with tear gas and sound bombs, arresting children and firing rubber bullets and live ammunition.
“Young people in Aida Camp believe it is normal to throw stones, to inhale tear gas, to hide from soldiers but this is not normal. We have to let them see what normal life is and to know what they should aspire to.” Abdelfattah Abusrour, Director of Alrowwad Centre for Culture & Arts.
Amos partner, Alrowwad teaches ‘beautiful resistance’ inspiring young people to channel their activism into creative non-violence using music, dance, drama, film and photography.
amos palestine justice
Our range of resource and fundraising packs, blog posts, downloads and products have been produced to help you find out more about Amos Palestine Justice.
Palestine Justice
Majed Shala On Location
These graceful, moving and poetic drawings show tenderness and fragility in the midst of war. Ghostly figures locked in a tender embrace, defiantly looking at the sky in resilience and dignity. Majed Shala beautifully documents the human and emotional cost of war in Gaza and its tragic consequences on relationships and everyday life.
Palestine Justice
Mariam Salah On Location
Mariam bravely and fiercely creates artworks exploring the practice of Palestinian political prisoners smuggling sperm out of Israeli jails so that their wives can become pregnant. A doctor at a fertility clinic in Nablus stated that 22 women had undergone insemination using smuggled sperm. The success rate was low because of the difficulties of keeping sperm fresh during transportation from prisons in Israel to the West Bank.
Palestine Justice
May Murad On Location
“My current work is an echo of my exiled self. The employment of digital windows and messages is emblematic of my artistic method. My screen connects me to the world but detaches me from it. Although I no longer live in Gaza, I am still affected by feelings of isolation and captivity. My artwork is a dialogue with a new reality and a pursuit of an evasive happiness.”
Palestine Justice
Maha Daya On Location
Picasso stated: “Every act of creation begins with an act of destruction.” This is horribly true of Maha Daya’s paintings which document the consequences of Israeli warplanes’ strikes on Gaza. There is no beauty or life in these haunting artworks. The buildings have not collapsed. They are defiant and resilient and refuse to fall. They are monuments to injustice and devastation.
Palestine Justice
Mohammed Alhaj On Location
“Mohammed’s characters feel anonymous. The figures appear of varying origins — endless and with infinite colour. They are shadow characters with no rights in soil, sea, or sky. The displaced and alienated move through hazy colour spaces as if from a dream. They are escaping a brutal and painful reality in a desperate search for peace.”
Palestine Justice
Zainab Al-Qolaq On Location
At precisely 1 am on 16th May 2021, Israeli jets bombarded a densely populated residential area in the centre of Gaza City. Zainab was trapped under the rubble of her apartment block for 12 hours. She lost 22 members of her family in the attack. At the launch of her exhibition, she said, “I hope that you will not praise my paintings or document my achievement with joy. Instead, I hope you will help me spread my cause and raise my voice to hold this occupier to account.”
Palestine Justice
Mahmoud Alhaj On Location
Mahmoud uses medicinal blister packs to construct intelligent, sophisticated and meticulous architectural cityscapes. The symbolism of the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its affect on mental health is profound. A recent report by Save the Children stated that over 80% of children in Gaza suffer from mental health problems.
Resources
Stories of Hope Doing Hope... in Aida Refugee Camp
“While our expertise is in arts and culture, the harsh realities on the ground have made relief work an unavoidable responsibility.” In this month’s Stories of Hope, we hear from Ribal Alkurdi, Executive Director at Alrowwad Cultural Centre, who explains why they feel compelled to undertake food programmes in Aida Refugee Camp.
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