STORY: Palestinian artist translates dire reality in war-torn Gaza into artworks
SHOOTING TIME: July 16, 2024
DATELINE: July 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:41
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Basel al-Maqousi drawing in his tent
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist
3. various of Basel al-Maqousi with children during a painting workshop
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist
5. various of Basel al-Maqousi drawing in his tent
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist

STORYLINE:

Basel al-Maqousi, 45, is a Palestinian artist living in a refugee tent in the war-ravaged Gazan city of Deir al-Balah.

As a father of five, al-Maqousi lost his home and normal life.

Al-Maqousi used to paint the beauty and nature of Gaza. But the war made him increasingly alert and nervous, and sometimes unable to control his reactions. This upset those around him.

"Every time we were forced to displace," al-Maqousi recalled, "I lost some of my human emotions and faith in life getting back on track someday. My personality has changed by the mental pressure we are suffering from."

To rein in and relieve the internal pressure, he resorted to painting and drawing. The anger, fear, hopelessness, and dire reality in Gaza were thus translated into artworks.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist
"The war changed everything in Gaza, as if it were a piece of clay that had been kneaded. Our survival from the war until this moment does not mean that we are safe and that we are living normally. We lost many things in the war and we lost our emotions to preserve what remains in our feelings, dignity, and life. I tried as much as possible to release energy through drawing."
   
Al-Maqousi started to see that beautiful moments could still exist in a time of hardship. He tried to deliver the feeling of normality and hope as he drew children playing at the beach.
   
"The smiles of children had encouraged me to feel hope once again," said Al-Maqousi. "After drawing dozens of such paintings, I felt that I regained my positive energy."
   
In a bid to help others who were traumatized by the war, al-Maqousi then launched an art workshop for displaced children. Al-Maqousi managed to find suitable locations and overcome a severe shortage of drawing boards and paints. 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist
"There is another part of my life that I consider important, which is working with children in many workshops since the beginning of the war. Many friends warned me that I was risking my life, but I insisted on continuing my initiative. Some of my friends helped me because I wrote to them personally at the beginning without any expenses. But now there is funding to hold more workshops and provide for the needs of these children. I heard comments from the families that some changes occurred in the children through their positive interactions with each other. They asked me to hold these art workshops for the children."
   
Al-Maqousi hoped that the world could support Palestinians in the ongoing war. "We will rebuild our life once the current war ends," he added.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): BASEL AL-MAQOUSI, Palestinian artist
"This war did not spare anything. Culture, health, education, and life as a whole were destroyed systematically and deliberately, eliminating anything related to the history and heritage of this city. I hope the world supports us in this war because every person in his world influences his government to make a change in the management of countries. And this became clear how the revolutions contributed to changing governments and their administrations completely."
   
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, which rampaged through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023. On that day, about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.
   
According to Gaza-based health authorities, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 38,713 as of Tuesday.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)