Eyes on Gaza, a three day art and cultural event in aid of a mental health trauma centre in Gaza, Palestine, will be opened by Palestinian Ambassador, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, on Friday, June 7.
Taking place in the Limelight Creative Arts Centre (situated above Lidl, Oranmore ) this weekend from Friday, June 7 until Sunday, June 9, 9am until 6pm, Eyes on Gaza will feature workshops, art exhibitions and music.
The Eyes on Gaza art exhibition features paintings, sculptures, ceramics and glass art created by some 40 Irish and international artists, three of whom are Palestinian. Ranging in recognition and experience from ‘very well known’ artists, to those who are exhibiting their pieces for the first time, all of the pieces exhibited in the event are for sale in aid of registered medical clinic and charity, the Palestine Trauma Centre (PTC ), Gaza.
Palestine Trauma Centre, Gaza
Founded in 2007 years ago by British-Palestinian Dr Mohamed Altawil, PTC was set up to help train therapists in how to support and promote mental health skills to children and citizens in Gaza, many of whom have experienced tragedy and loss on an unimaginable scale.
On the PTC’s website, the organisation states, ‘We are clinicians. Our job is to heal. The Palestine Trauma Centre has found itself caught in the middle of a conflict that we did not invite, and that our patients - the children of Gaza - have done nothing to deserve’.
On October 9, 2023, following the bombing of a building located adjacent to the clinic in Nuseirat, a refugee camp located in the centre of Gaza, the clinic sustained severe damage, leaving the building in an ‘unstable and unusable state’. Despite the destruction of the clinic and the multiple waves of displacement of Palestinians, PTC’s therapists have continued to provide aid and support to the citizens of Gaza.
“This event is a really good cause, and any cause which will help any number of people in Gaza is a worthy one,” said Eyes on Gaza organiser, Philomena McKenna, who went on to describe the work of the PTC as vital. “The clinic has introduced special modes of therapy for people in a traumatic situation, one that is ongoing and as the siege of Gaza continues, is incredibly important. It continues to provide light to people despite the terrible situation that is ongoing.
“Mental health gets forgotten about in the midst of the high number of terrible physical injuries many are facing, but it is always there. In the situation of chronic occupation, one which has no end in sight, a different type of therapy is needed.”
Event highlights
The Eyes on Gaza event will be officially launched at 4pm on Friday, June 7, by Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, but will be open to visitors from 9am Friday. Dr Wahba Abdalmajid will be joined at the opening by Dr Richard Kimball, who will provide attendees with a background of the centre and its services, and Karma Shawa, a Palestinian artist, who will discus the ‘role of art in conflict and resistance’.
In addition to the art exhibition, there will also be books on Palestinian history and literature for sale. On Saturday, June 8, from 3pm, Dr Kinan Mahoud Alrubaie will host a 30 minute workshop on Tatreeze, the traditional embroidery of Palestine. On Sunday, June 9, from 3pm until 4:15pm, artist Bríd Kinveen will host a workshop on ‘artful story boards’.
The ‘Seisiun for Gaza’ musical event will bring Eyes on Gaza to a close on Sunday, June 9 at 5pm. The event will feature an ‘eclectic gathering of Irish and Palestinian artists’ who will preform traditional music, song and dance for attendees.
Attendees who wish to travel to the event can do so using the 404 Oranmore bus from the city centre.
The Eyes on Gaza event will run from Friday, June 7 until Sunday, June 9, 9am until 6pm daily.
