Palestinian young women commemorate the 64th anniversary of Nakba by painting murals of “Return”
The walls of Gaza
which witnessed the Israeli cruel aggression on the Palestinian people became the
art canvas for the murals of “Return” painted by young Palestinian artists commemorating the 64th
anniversary of Nakba.
By Iqbal Tamimi
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Palestinian youths from
both sexes, painted murals over the walls that were smeared with Palestinian
blood during the Israeli Cast Lead aggressive attack on Gaza which started on December 27, 2008. The
murals in Palestine are known by the name Jidariyat. They tell the story of a
nation forcibly displaced from its home land in 1948 and whose plight is still
witnessed by the International community that failed to enforce the law against
the Israeli aggressor or achieve justice for almost 6 million displaced
Palestinian refugees.
Palestinian women
artists such as, Bara’a ElAwoor from the town of Majdal, who participated in
drawing the murals said ‘the dove and the key in my paintings are the symbols
of peace and Palestinians right of return’. The memory of Nakba hides behind it
a greater tragedy she added, ‘the Nakba is still recurring every day’ she
explained. ‘We still live the tragedy, we are still living behind its dark
scenes, our mouths are gagged, we had to express ourselves by painting images.
Colour blends tell the history of our home country, Palestine. Our brushes give
birth to a new history’ she said.
Other female
artists who participated in painting the murals came from Rimal neighborhood in
Gaza City, a few meters away from the intersection of Victory Road with Shuhada
Street who witnessed the massacres of many innocent civilians by the Israeli
forces.
Other participating
artists such as Ahmad elSharawi came from Aljorah neighbourhood, and female
Artist Reem Salameh, a student at the Faculty of Arts came from the town of
Beit Dras, besides many other artists including Mohammad Alwahidi, Yosef Kloob,
Reema Abbas, Summer Mhanna, Ayman elHusary, Amjad Abu Aithah, Abdullah
Abureedah, Fida’a elNashar, Ibraheem abuReedah and Salam Mizher.
The murals entitled
‘Rajeen’, which means (We are returning), was one of the activities called for
by the Association for Youth Cultural Forum in Gaza with the coordination of
Badeel, the Palestinian Centre-based in
the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Palestinian
journalist, Wisam Zoghbour says,’ those Palestinian refugee camps will remain
witnesses of a nation that was expelled by force from its home land, and occupied
by another entity called the state of “Israel”, which brags about its
claimed democracy while it has stolen other nation’s civilization and culture
and claimed it it’s own, while the international community has been watching
for 64 years. The Palestinian people will keep insisting on their right of
return to their parents and grandparents homelands that UN resolution 194
acknowledged’ he added.
Atya Salhah, the Executive Director of the
Cultural Forum for Youth of Almajdal city, sees the 64 anniversary of the Nakba
event as a commemoration of the forced displacement of the Palestinian people,
and another victory in the battle between what he describes as, the empty
intestines against the Israeli jailer.
Salhah stressed the
murals are part of the need to emphasize the valid right of return for
Palestinians in accordance with Resolution 194, and to repeal the alleged
Israeli recycled statement, “the adults will die and the young will forget.
After 64 years of suffering our people are even more determined and adherent to
their right of return,” he said.
Basim Sabih, the
coordinator of the campaign at the Badeel Centre of Bethlehem said, ‘the
creative activities on the Nakba day emphasizes the right of return and the
prisoners strikes scored a victory over the prison wardens and the prison
administration and gave the impetus to address the colonial policies against
our people, it is a victory for the Palestinian people and to those who offer
their solidarity to them to bring justice for our cause and for similar
campaigns by the liberals of the world.
Iqbal Tamimi is the Director of Arab Women Media Watch
Centre in UK
