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BRUSHSTROKES OF SOLIDARITY
Fundraiser exhibition sheds light on war-torn Palestine
DOWEL BISWAS
The precinct, the walls, and the rooms of the Embassy of Palestine, and the massacred country enduring a never-ending war, on Wednesday evening, bore much resemblance. To a practised eye, the images, paintings, satirical cartoons, and visuals of Palestine—a country almost diminished to the verge of destruction, where humanity is barely surviving—did not seem any less or more than what it is: targeted cultural persecution.
The sombre, grim figures of foreign dignitaries, journalists, and people slowly moving from one stall to another, contemplating the unimaginable brutality and horrors in war-torn Gaza with melancholy and despair at the exhibit, are a testament to what solidarity stands for.
The exhibition was in the spirit of that solidarity and a deliberate fundraising initiative by the Embassy of Palestine in Bangladesh, in coordination with the Consular Corps in Bangladesh.
Tahia Tabani, an emerging artist from Bangladesh, donated 39 of her paintings to raise funds for Palestine on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity for the Palestinian people. Drik also collaborated with Tahia with collections from its November 11 exhibition, titled Cartoons for Palestine .
International Solidarity Day is observed by the United Nations and countries across the world on November 29, underscoring the date on which, in 1947, the General Assembly adopted the resolution known as the Partition Resolution , which divided Palestine into two states– ‘Jewish state’ and an ‘Arab state’, with Jerusalem placed under a special international regime.
Although the recognition is undoubtedly improper in acknowledgement of Palestine as a unique state of its own, the bare minimum conclusion is that International Solidarity Day provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the aforementioned UN Resolution remains partially implemented, as the ‘Jewish state’ has come to manifest; hence, the issue of Palestine’s recognition as a sovereign state remains unresolved.
This is a key issue, amongst others, that continues to facilitate apartheid, atrocities, and injustices on the Palestinian people now and in decades before. The Palestine Embassy in Dhaka commemorates this day to reaffirm its commitment to a free Palestine.
In this regard, HE Yousef Ramadan, Ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh, shared with the Daily Star, “You will be surprised to know that I was not born in Palestine. My family of 13 people was displaced and forced to flee from their homeland, and they immigrated to Lebanon, the nearest country they could get into.”
“Actually, I was able to go to Palestine only once in my life, and I have been denied access since 2021. I am the ambassador for Palestine, but it is ironic that I haven’t been able to go to my country for 23 years,” said the ambassador, further emphasising the long road his people have yet to cross amidst the current situation.
“There are eight million people like myself who are living as refugees around the world. And there are seven million people still living in Israel and Palestine,” added Yousef Ramadan in hope of getting the recognition of the country they deserve by their birthright.
The artist, Tahia Tabani, had begun a campaign on her own in recent months, creating artworks focused on the Palestinian cause, selling them, and contributing the revenues to international relief efforts working to support those affected in Gaza in the bombardment carried out by Israel.
Of the paintings exhibited by Tahia, 27 were sold at the exhibition. The artworks were collected by officials from various fields, such as Iran Embassy, Air Asia, Tesla US, United Nations, and Unicef Bangladesh, amongst others.
The exhibition was graced by the Algerian Ambassador to Bangladesh Larbi Rabah, Brunei High Commissioner Abd Haris Pg Hj Shabudin, Qatar Ambassador Saraya Ali Al-Qahtani, along with dignitaries from the Oman Embassy, Russian Embassy, Consular Corps in Bangladesh and United Nations. The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam, Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, Author and Anthropologist Rahnuma Ahmed, and renowned Photojournalist and Drik Managing Director Shahidul Alam were also present at the event.