Children’s Art expo creates awareness on Palestinian situation

The Qatar National Library (QNL), in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and the Children’s Literature Centre, is hosting the Children’s Art Exhibition 2024 (Reesha), the latest in a series of initiatives designed to raise community awareness about the past and current situation in Palestine, particularly among youth.Themed ‘Artworks Inspired by the Novel Men in the Sun’, the exhibition opened Wednesday and will run until December 31. It will engage children through the use of art and creative cultural development tools, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people. QNL has placed special emphasis on making the exhibition’s content accessible to all, providing audio descriptions that visitors can access on their phones, high-contrast embossed images and braille descriptions of the artworks for people with visual impairments. The exhibition features 12 artworks created by children from 11 schools across Qatar, under the guidance of Qatari artist Ahmed Nouh, a member of the Souq Waqif Art Centre and the Katara Fine Arts Society, in collaboration with Qatari writer Asmaa al-Kuwari.This year’s edition combines the Reesha exhibition and Qalami, an annual cultural initiative for children, designed by QNL in collaboration with local authors and cultural institutions to develop creative writing skills in Arabic for students in grades five and six.Inspired by the novel, Men in the Sun by Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani, children brought the stories they developed in the Qalami workshop to life through artistic works that combined drawing and collage.In a press statement, Fatema al-Malki, project manager of Qatar Reads and acting manager of the Children’s and Young Adults’ Library at QNL, said the initiative seeks to foster creativity and cultural development among children while introducing children to important contemporary issues, with a particular focus on the region and the Arab world’s rich cultural heritage. The first edition of the Reesha Children’s Art Exhibition, which the Library hosted in 2022, under the slogan "We Welcome the World to Qatar 2022”, introduced young people to Qatar’s efforts in preparing for the World Cup through the development of stadiums.Since the launch of the assault on Gaza, QNL has organised numerous events as part of its Cultural Salon series to emphasise Palestine’s deep-rooted Arab identity, which Israel is attempting to undermine. QNL also hosted various events dedicated to children and families, including "Palestine’s Story,” and the "Raising for Palestine” webinar, held in co-operation with Teach for Qatar.