For those who don't know much about what's going on, I have been pouring all my energy and time to do a little something that would open up peoples eyes on the Arab Peoples Revolution. The "Arab Spring" is what they have been calling it and it has swept across North Africa and the Middle East. The brutal regimes of Yemen & Syria have claimed the lives of hundreds, imprisoned thousands, and injured an untold number of peaceful protesters.
The Syrian government has banned all foreign media, and the Yemeni government has severely limited it. Internet and mobile communications are frequently disabled – in both countries – as a means of silencing the protesters but Freedom cannot silenced.
Something other than protests had to be done. Something unique and something that captures. Something educational, emotional and creative. So just as I was beginning to brainstorm, the idea of an ART EXHIBIT came to mind. I quickly knew that it was the perfect idea. All I needed now was space. I reached out to a couple of others. Sarah, a Yemeni-American who I knew personally, a cousin and a dear friend. Rafif and Myer, both Syrian-Americans that I became acquainted with by protesting every Sat in front of the white house. Together we made this dream a reality.
On June 11 2011 we held a photo exhibition to give these protestors a voice. Through facebook and twitter, we ran a photo competition so people on the ground can submit to us their photographs. After an overwhelming number of submissions, we had 3 artists serve as judges to decide on the final 30 photographs for each country
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| guests viewing the photos. |
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| "Due to the social network repression, these photos were obtained surreptitiously by the presenters of the exhibit " |
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| The Wall of Thoughts: Supporters were encouraged to write anything that came to mind from prayers, thoughts, & even quotes dedicated to those in Yemen & Syria. |
The exhibition explores the role of art with a political content, taking you to the streets of Syria and Yemen directly and experiencing the peaceful resistance of the protesters. If you are ever around Washington D.C. please feel free to stop by MOCA DC (1054 31st st NW Washington D.C.) The exhibition will be running until 25th of June 2011. We plan on having the exhibition move to other cities-so stay tuned & find out which city is next!
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You can buy their photos online & 100% of the proceeds goes towards humanitarian aid via Yemen Peace Project. Their photos tell a compelling story of the ongoing journey towards freedom, so please help and support. In the coming days, pictures that have been chosen for display will be available to you for purchase online via Yemen Peace Project. so please check back soon for updates on the photo(s). Thanks for all your support. Stay tuned :) |
