A picture is worth a thousand words, and this video goes beyond that. It contains powerful drawings, created by children in Gaza, expressing the horrors they experienced during Operation Cast Lead, which of course began nearly two years ago. These children share the painful physical and emotional devastation caused by Israel’s actions. Many of these young artists will never escape the hell they lived through.
This video is part of a larger project, the traveling art exhibit, “A Child’s View from Gaza,” developed by Joyce Ravitz and myself after we visited Gaza in June 2009. Having seen drawings in an art therapy class, we felt an exhibit of similar drawings should be developed and shown in the US. “A Child’s View from Gaza.” was born!
I used the internet to find participants and began collecting drawings from six Gazan children’s centers. The picture were created by children aged seven through twelve. Rajie Cook, a well known graphic artist who is currently recognized for protest art, began creating the video as a recruitment took to secure venues for the exhibit. Rajie drew in his long time friend photographer Thomas Francisco into the project. Francisco used his musical talents selecting and mixing the music. Their finished project is fantastic!
Hopefully some of you viewing these pictures will want to present the message communicated by children and their art in your own communities. For venue suggestions, additional information, and questions, email: achildsview1@gmail.com
