Paintings on the walls - life next to the rubble in Gaza

Paintings on the walls - life next to the rubble in Gaza





here's a report from Asmaa in Gaza about the paintings on the walls as a way to get out of the trauma


Paintings on the walls og Gaza City made by a group of young artists named, "Girls and Boys", students at Fine Art College in El Aqsa University, Gaza city.

Mohammed El Haj says : "I found the walls the cheapest way and the fast to expresses my thoughts and feelings and share them with all people around ..Drawing part of my life I will not let the siege or that war effect on what I live to do" by Asmaa

It is nothing new in Gaza seeing lots of words in great lines on any wall you pass it in Gaza .. Some of them talk about the political situation .. Another is talking about the Social events.. many of them are talking about whom left their families and died during the last war or previous Israeli military operations in Gaza .. with their names and their painting faces ..

It is the fast, cheap, easy way to express your opinion , And to reach what you want the other Gazans to know freely .. Even it stays for a short time .. Because anyone else who will do the same on the same wall for another reason and subject .. in the next week ..

After 2006 many things changed in Gaza .. The political situation effected on many aspects in Gazans’s life..There is a government in West bank another one in Gaza .. Most of the people in Gaza became don’t believe in these or those ..Nothing important except how they can get a work and have enough money to cover their families needs ..

Life became more difficult .. You see the sadness and poorness all over Gaza.. it is not just because the horrible war .. But because of many reasons , The long and the unfair blockade, From all the sides ( the sea- the air – and all the border crossings points).


It is to hard sometimes to realize this strange ability for the Gazans to get over all what has happened to them and their families and continue the life in this fast .. What had happened in Gaza hard to forget ..and we still feel it In spite of our daily concerns.


But it seems that it inspires a lot of artists to get their feelings out in many ways in Gaza .. If you walk in Gaza’s streets you will see every week a new painting wall by group of artists..

Many of them talked about the war, I was impressive of long one which made by 13 artists “ Girls and boys “All of them students in Fine Art College

in El Aqsa University, They made it on particular type of white cloth because they couldn’t paint on the damaged wall opposite to the ruins of the Palestinian Legislative Council .. When I asked one of the girls she called Miysa.. she is an art student at level 2 in the University “ What does this work mean to you ??

She said “ It means that even they destroyed our life in Gaza we will seirvie and stand up again to get all our rights back“

I asked another one, She painted a big key and a complete map for all Palestine ..Why she painted these and the paintings talks about the war .. She said “ I meant it to tell the world that dying in Gaza doesn’t mean we forgot our land and our rights to live freely in our home on our own land”

Another artist called Mohammed El Haj who is an art teacher and a specialist

in painting walls.. I asked him why most of artists in Gaza go to use the walls to paint!! He simply said “ It is the cheapest way during this long siege in Gaza , There is no good colors ,No material that we use it to draw, Like the cloth and brushes, And if we found them we buy them in high price because they inter Gaza by the tunnels ..

So I found the walls the cheapest way and the fast to expresses my thoughts and feelings and share them with all people around ..Drawing part of my life I will not let the siege or that war effect on what I live to do ..

Something interesting that many of the artists I met from different backgrounds who studied English, policy, Economic, Engineering, and other fields ..

When I asked Ismaiel El Hefni who is an architect.. Why he painted o the wall not on a small painting to put it in an exhibition it will stay for a long time!! He said “ Painting on the wall is different , I found it more interesting for me to put it on the wall instead of an exhibition even the painting will stay on the wall for one day .. I like to paint on abig space with all this movements around me .. You can share all the people around what you think of .. You can share them what you believe in .. And if the painting was good and interesting for others it will stay on the wall for a long time .. And I’m happy to share another artists from different fields.. We exchanged ideas and created new techniques to product good art collective.


After the war a lot of local and international organizations supported the artists to find out a fun and enjoyable way to get out of the trauma that Gazans lived especially the children .. We saw some paintings were made by hands and feet of children in beautiful colors ..

We can see the beauty in Gaza even a large part of it has been destroyed.. We will see life next to the rubble.