These days’ conflicts between Palestine and Israel gives tragic reports.

Wishing that a ceasefire will be reached as soon as possible for the good and life of all, today we want to try to shed light on what symbolically could be a glimmer of hope, even if a tiny one.

We deal with art and art is managing to survive even in such a tortured territory.

“We must continue to make art, we cannot let destruction have the last word”.

Gaza – children in front of a Banksy’s artwork – Courtesy Pinterest

So said Mitri Raheb, director of the Dar al Kalima University College of Art & Culture, an art institute founded thanks to the will of the same students in March 2020 on the basis of a project already present since 2018.

Therefore Raheb, a Palestinian from Bethlehem, is the director of the only accredited school of fine arts in Gaza which, ironically, is just a few steps away from the tower which crumbled down under Israeli raid a few days ago.

Mitri Rehab,Dar al Kalima director – Courtesy of DaralKalima.edu

Students cannot return to class for obvious safety reasons but they do not give up and recover pieces of glass from the rubble to create artworks, doves to be precise: symbol of peace.

The activity of Dar al Kalima never stopped: funded by the aid of Bright Stars Bethlem, an American NGO and those coming from volunteers and donations, it organized workshops, lessons and programs even for children.

Despite the very serious circumstances in which those territories find themselves, the future goal is to make students’ art known to the international public because violence cannot win.