The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) is proud to announce the publication of a book called, “A Child’s View from Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship.” It’s a collection of drawings by children from the Gaza Strip, art that was censored by the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland, California in 2011.
With beautiful, high-resolution print images of the exhibit, the book also features a special foreword by celebrated author, Alice Walker, as well as an essay by MECA Executive Director, Barbara Lubin, describing the struggle against the censorship.*
After displaying the children’s exhibit for two months in a small retail space, where hundreds came to view the artwork, we hope that the release of this book will allow the children’s drawings to reach an even broader audience.
As we approach the three-year anniversary of Israel’s brutal assault on the Gaza Strip, in which over 1400 civilians were killed including 352 children, the need to support the ones who survived to tell their stories and the trauma they experienced through art is now more crucial than ever.
Undoubtedly, the drawings featured in “A Child’s View from Gaza” serve as part of the historical record of the horror inflicted on the Palestinian people during Operation Cast Lead as experienced by Gaza’s children. Photos of the aftermath and the recent efforts by pro-Israel groups to censor the children’s art are also highlighted in the book.
Thousands of you stood up for the right of children in Gaza to be heard, and now you can continue to support them by sharing their artwork.
Largely born out of a MECA-sponsored project, “Let the Children Play and Heal,” the drawings were designed to help children cope with the trauma they experienced during Israel’s 2008-2009 assault on Gaza.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will support children’s centers in Gaza.