A narrative of the oppressed

Hyderabad-based social worker, drama therapist, Mahnoor Yar Khan is curating the exhibition ‘Gaza 51’ by bringing together some of the significant works of children and youngsters between the ages of 14 and 25 from the battle-ridden region, whose lives have been devastated by strife

Having lived and worked in Gaza, Palestine for nearly 24 years, Hyderabad-based drama therapist Mahnoor Yar Khan has seen the heart-wrenching situation of the people in the war-hit area up close and personal. Her association with the city began in 1992, when she was into filmmaking and working with NGOs; she was offered to work with the women of Palestine for a year and to train them in filmmaking.

Mahnoor, for a short period, also worked in Jerusalem and West Bank before moving to Gaza in 1994 for the second time. While there, she did a drama therapy programme for adolescents, which involved using techniques in drama to allow groups of kids to address concerns and learn how to deal with them.

Her empathy with the people of Gaza is evident. “It is something about the spirit of the people there that makes you want to go back. When I moved to Gaza in 1994, I stayed there for five years. I also started working with grown-ups. From 1999 onwards, I went there every year,” she shares.

Mahnoor, who was in Gaza during the first week of the war of 2014, had to leave the area as her visa could not be renewed. However, she went back a few months later and by then, the infamous seizure of Gaza border by the Israeli forces had happened resulting in the destruction of property, loss of lives including heavy casualties in children.

“And, with it ended the hope for light that many youngsters harboured, until then,” recounts Mahnoor and adds, “A lot has changed over the years. When I first went in 1992, it was the time when political groups that had formed in 1987 rose in uprising together; there was hope, and then again, when Arafat came, people thought - now is the time when they will finally have their bit of land. And each time, there was just disappointment.”

“This time, when I went, it was extremely difficult to work with the youngsters. They do not care where, but they want to leave. They have seen enough. I myself do not plan to go back soon,” says Mahnoor. Jailed for life, through land and people Mahnoor states that with the Egyptian border on one side and sea on the other remaining closed, and of course, Israel was not allowing anyone – Gaza today is a modern day prison.

“It is practically like a jail in Gaza in a way such that inmates cannot move anywhere,” reveals Mahnoor. “Today, a Palestinian cannot leave Gaza. Labour no longer goes to Israel. The airport has been bombed, and they have to fly through Jordan. And so, anyone who wants to leave Gaza needs to take permit and visa from both Israel and Jordan. Even to attend a conference, one wouldn’t know until the end if one can get all the documents cleared,” she relates.

It was the summer of 2014, during the fasting month of Ramadan when Israel invaded Gaza. For 51 days, Israel relentlessly bombed the city from the air, ground and sea; this small strip of land, with a population of 1.8 million was left disfigured. The power and sewage treatment plants were bombed as were the UNRWA schools and godowns. The invasion claimed 2,205 lives including 1,483 civilians, out of which 520 were children and 283, were women.

Mahnoor states that with the Egyptian border on one side and sea on the other remaining closed, and of course, Israel was not allowing anyone – Gaza today is a modern day prison. Youngsters do not have jobs; olive groves were bombed destroying livelihood of families dependent on them. Food is scarce. There are hospitals but no modern equipment is allowed. The sea is full of sewage. The travails are many and Mahnoor has seen it herself, how despite all this the people try to lead a normal life.

“If they cannot go to the beach, they bring the beach home and sit outside under an umbrella. There may be war happening on one side and bombing too, but you will find one family immersed in marriage rituals,” she shares.However, it is difficult to say how long they will survive on meagre means. “It is no longer the war of the equals. It is the oppressed versus the oppressor,” she says.

The UN estimates that nearly 4,00,000 children require some form of mental health support to cope with the events they witnessed or experienced over the summer of 2014 (details as given by Mahnoor).

Saying it through art
After decades of non-aligned and pro-Arab policies, India established formal diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992. Since Jaswant Singh’s visit to Israel in 2000, India has been developing closer military, industrial, agricultural and trade ties with Israel. This has led to the focus of Indian media coverage being Israeli-centric. As such, the narrative for Palestinians is no longer that of the oppressed and occupied people who have, for 68 years, been living under a brutal Israeli occupation and, therefore, have a right to resist. Instead, it reads more as the fight against terror and the axis of evil!

Bringing together some of the significant works of children and youngsters aged between 14 and 25, whose lives have been devastated by strife – through films, paintings and photographs – Mahnoor is organising exhibitions and talks across India discussing Gaza 51.

Without funding, she struggles with venues and is constantly working to make it possible to showcase these works to as many people as possible. In Hyderabad, she has planned events at Lamakaan on March 26 and 27, before travelling to seven other cities in India.

She hopes that her exhibitions will serve as a revelation to Indians as she brings a glimpse of the reality of life in Gaza through the works.