Healing and Hope in War Zones

CHildren’s Art from Gaza and Ukraine

 

There is less art from Ukraine and I did not have an explanation as to  how it arrived in Seattle, but this strong image is on the cover of the brochure as an emblematic image from Ukraine. I  include more at the end of the post

 

 

 

Drawings by Children of Gaza

 

 

 

 

Brought to Seattle by D’vorah Kost  Shown at St. Marks Cathedral Seattle

as a series of events called “Sacred  Spaces.”

 

The small drawings were easy to overlook in the corner of the huge cathedral, but once you looked closely, you could not look away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these children have experienced what they draw first-hand. Each child has a unique style, but all of them are vividly depicting attacks by Israelis

 

 

 

 

 

These works are by three triplets, watching their house burn, finding their father dead. and being pursued by a tank

 

 

 

 

a Home destroyed The We are not numbers book mentioned at the end of this column has esssays by youth writers who describe the constant destruction, and fleeing

 

 

Food Drop

The food drops are chaotic and often turn violent

 

They are not numbers They are Human Beings

 

 

 

 

One of the few labels

Ahmed Abu Abed. 13, wants to be a soccer player and an engineer. He loves to construct things out of recycled material and has made 100 kites from plastic bags. He gives them away. His art contains many images he recalls from war, including the destruction of his bicycle. He loves to Imagine peaceful times.

 

 

A collage by a Fouab Diad father of the children with actual rocks from Gaza

 

I highly recommend the book We Are Not Numbers (WANN), The Voices of Gaza Youth. WANN is a group of 385 Palestinian young adults. https://wearenotnumbers.org/. The website has recent posts and a way to buy the book.

The book is a selection of short articles by young adult writers describing their life in Gaza. It spans from 2016 to 2024. Many speak of participating in the Great March of Return that began in 2016. One of going to the beach, another of studying the stars (he is now studying astronomy in Russia), “The Betrayal of Wonder Woman,” “The Donkey Carts of Gaza” and much more. Four of the writers and one mentor/teacher have already been killed.

 

Some have escaped Gaza with fellowships, and some are helping with the WANN project inside and outside Gaza. Others received fellowships that they couldn’t take because the border is closed.

And of ocurse the situation is worse everyday. The Israelis are systematicly obliterating Gaza and its inhabitants

 

The book We are Not Numbers is available at Eilliott Bay Bookshops://www.elliottbaybook.com/

 

The blog posts come up to the present. I urge you to take a look at them. https://wearenotnumbers.org/

 

Here are four more images froom children in Ukraine. I am awaiting more information on what they say.

 

 

 

 

 

The last word from Gaza