Brushstrokes of solidarity: Fundraiser exhibition sheds light on war-torn Palestine

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.

The enduring conflict, resonating with the decades of atrocities and brutality inflicted by Israel, the global outcry for an end to the war and the stifled voices we've all witnessed– the exhibition space became a poignant reflection of it all.

To a practised eye, the images, paintings, satirical cartoons and visuals of Palestine, a country with a very rich heritage, art and cultural background and which has been diminished to the verge of destruction, where humanity is barely surviving, did not seem any less or more than what it is: A targeted cultural persecution.

From afar, it can be easily misinterpreted as a funeral by the sense of morbidity, melancholy, desperation, and much-seen visual paintings at the exhibit. The sombre, grim figures of foreign dignitaries, journalists, and people slowly moving from one stall to another, contemplating the unimaginable brutality and horrors of what's been going on in Gaza for decades and now–is 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 war-torn 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 by 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, H. E. 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 to visit my country since 2021. and for 23 years, I hadn't been able to go to my country. I am the ambassador of Palestine, but still, I cannot even visit my country; I cannot go to my family. They deny our legitimate access and recognition," said the ambassador, further emphasising the long road his people have yet to cross amidst the current situation.

"My parents, our relatives and our people had been living as a refugee, in Palestine or elsewhere; sadly, it became our identity. I was born as a refugee and still living as a refugee today," he says.

"Some of my friends and colleagues were born, lived and died as refugees. These are miseries that have long been reflected on the Palestinian people. There are eight million people like myself who are living as refugees around the world. And there are still seven million people living in Israel and Palestine," added H. E. Yousef Ramadan in the hope of getting the recognition of the country they deserve by their birthright.

"Our dreams and aspirations used to be different; some wanted to be film stars, some musicians, doctors, engineers, but for many years, Palestinian people all around the world have only one dream, one target, and that is the liberation of Palestine," he continued.

"Palestine used to be one of the richest countries in its heritage, trade, art and culture scenario. It's an agricultural land; it used to be the centre of trade in the Middle East, and now all of these has become a distant memory," the ambassador reminisced.

"We have poets such as Mohammad Darwish, we had cinemas, printing houses, airlines, airforce, universities, and schools. It was a flourishing country, and we were rich, so much so that we used to hire workers from neighbouring countries. When the oil reserves erupted, the Westerners came for work in Palestine. The Palestinian currency was the most expensive currency. However, the hypocrisy of the Western world has destroyed a rich country like us," concluded Yousef Ramadan.

As part of the commemoration, the Palestine Embassy organised the event, titled "Art Exhibition", with artworks of Tahia Tabani. The artist 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 by the bombardment carried out by Israel. The Consular Corps and the Palestine Embassy facilitated this exhibition to showcase the artist's artwork and contribute more to the humanitarian needs of Gaza.

Of the paintings exhibited by Tahia, 27 were sold at the exhibition. The artworks were collected by officials from various fields, such as the Iran Embassy, Air Asia, Tesla US, United Nations, and Unicef Bangladesh, amongst others.

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The exhibition was graced by the Algerian Ambassador to Bangladesh H. E. Larbi Rabah, Brunei High Commissioner H. E. Abd Haris Pg Hj Shabudin, Qatar Ambassador H. E. 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.