If you know me, you will know that Palestine and Palestinians are very close to my heart and have been for decades. In the past I have made hundreds of Palestinian flags – which I hope are out there waving proudly somewhere. I’m finding it extremely depressing and horrifying watching the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. It is difficult to find words to describe what is happening, as well to describe the feelings that well up when witnessing such brutal treatment of the oppressed Palestinian people. Sometimes I’ve just sat and wept, feeling so helpless and hopeless, until the tears dried up and I’m left feeling numb. And then it begins the next day with a fresh wave of horror.
When I saw the Children of Gaza Quilt project it felt natural for me to take part, a) because I love Palestine and long for it to be free of the occupation. And b) because I am a textile artist and it’s my default medium. The idea of the project is to honour and commemorate the names and lives of children murdered in this genocide.
Each person who signs up for the project is assigned a child who has been martyred. Sometimes there is some information about the child and what they were like and what they loved. Each person creates a textile piece commemorating the life of the child and then sends it to the organiser to be added to a quilt. As the pieces are gathered, more quilts will be created and exhibited. Currently the project is small and two exhibitions are planned, one in Germany and one in Canada. More exhibitions may be planned for the future.
The quilts are highly poignant, each showing the names of children lost to this genocide. Their hobbies and dreams described in simple fabrics and stitches. A football, a kite, teddy bears, hearts, birds, flowers, a small face with big dark eyes peering out of the fabric folds.
They are not numbers, they are not animals, they are not less than, they are human children who deserve to be protected with the full force of International Law. They had lives, hopes, dreams and passions. They were deeply loved and cherished by their friends and families. We must remember them. That is the least we can do.
Sham Al-Najjar
The child assigned to me is called Sham Al-Najjar. She was only 9 years old when she was murdered in an Israeli air-strike in Gaza, on 27th April 2024. When I saw her smiling face and read about her, I instantly fell in love and felt an immediate connection. She loved drawing and painting in watercolours and creating beautiful things from her imagination. She was endlessly curious and loved asking questions about the world around her. She loved spending time with her father at weekends. She was just a little girl, and from her eyes and her smile you can see that she had a zest for life. She reminds me of me at her age, always curious, always creating. I feel sad that I will never meet her or thank her for the gift she has given me; a reminder that the awestruck inner child never leaves us and to nurture her forever, with play, colour, creativity and fun.
I wanted to include her portrait in the piece because she had such a beautiful face and smile, and to make people connect with her. I kept the stitching really simple to not detract from her face. I chose to make the background girly pink and sparkly because I thought she would love that. I added extra pink and purple sequins as decoration and a little gold sequin on her ear to describe her ear stud. She had such lovely long curls and such bright eyes full of life. I printed out her picture and had it next to me as I worked, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed quite a few tears as I created this piece. I included her name, her age and the date of her death. In addition, I wanted to use her own words as a poignant reminder of what has been stolen from her. She said “I dream of a future filled with love and happiness”. Her dream of a future, of life without conflict and a loving family was stolen from her as it is being stolen from thousands of Palestinians as I write this.
I will always think of you Sham, when I paint and draw. You will stay with me forever habibti ana. May you rest in Paradise forever, playing in crystal waters full of rainbows and running through meadows of singing flowers. Far away from this cruel world that did not protect you or see your life as valuable. I will always love you and all the children of Palestine.
Please check out the Children of Gaza Quilt project on Instagram if you would like to find out more and take part. Please like and share their work. It’s the least you can do. You can scan the QR code below to find the Instagram page.
