Pro-Israel Groups Censor Palestinian Children’s Art

Let MOCHA Know You are Disappointed by Their Decision to Censor "A Child's View From Gaza" Art Exhibit!

On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland decided to cancel an exhibit of art by Palestinian children in Gaza, titled “A Child’s View From Gaza.” The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) had established a partnership with MOCHA and spent several months planning the exhibit, which was slated to open on September 24.

Board President Hilmon Sorey cited vague museum guidelines on appropriate content as reasons for canceling the exhibit, but both board members and pro-Israel groups later admitted that the latter placed pressure on the museum to censor the artwork of Palestinian children.

It is likely that the censorship here was yet another example of a $6 million dollar nationwide campaign by the Jewish Federation of North America, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and its local proxies, to silence the Palestinian perspective, even in “cultural institutions.”

It is very sad and disturbing that MOCHA, which has in the past courageously displayed artwork by Iraqi children featuring U.S. tanks and weaponry, has now chosen to censor artwork of similar content by Palestinian children, and succumb to financial pressure. But it is an outrage that these pro-Israel groups are using their considerable political and financial power to intimidate a local non-profit organization into silencing Palestinian children and censoring their art.

Tell MOCHA to Show "A Child's View From Gaza"!
Donate to support Let the Children Play Heal, an important psychosocial program that uses the arts and creative expression to help children in Gaza recover from trauma.

UPDATED Call to Action from Middle East Children's Alliance Executive Director Barbara Lubin:

Dear friend,

9/15/11: We are in the midst of an all-out effort to assure that art by children in Gaza be seen – and we urgently need your help. Please, if you can, make a donation today. Every dollar helps.

You may already know that the children’s museum in Oakland, California banned our children’s art exhibit. We are now forced to find–and pay for–another venue. Many of the paintings were created as part of our “Let the Children Play & Heal” project in Gaza. Children like Asil, a ten-year-old from Gaza.

Asil painted a picture of herself in jail that you see here. Written between the bars, Asil says “I have a right to live in peace,” “I have a right to live this life,” and “I have a right to play.”

She believes that there are people in this world who care about her and her rights. People who are willing to create the space for her to express her feelings through art. I know you’re one of those people — and that’s why I’m asking you to, please, make an emergency donation today to allow Asil’s art to be seen.

All of us at the Middle East Children’s Alliance are very determined. Right now, we are working night and day to find and secure another place for this children’s exhibit to be seen. It’s a lot for our small organization to take on, and that’s why we so urgently need your help.

The exhibit, “A Child’s View From Gaza,” is part of our amazing “Let the Children Play & Heal,” program that uses art, music, drama and storytelling to help children cope with trauma and loss. It is an extraordinary program that reaches hundreds of thousands of children with psychologists, teachers and trained volunteers who help them heal through art.

Thank you so much for your caring and commitment and for your emergency donation today. We’ll keep you posted about what’s next.

With warm regards,
Barbara Lubin Executive Director

P.S. The children of Gaza live every day with so much loss. Now, because of some powerful pro-Israel groups in the US, they could lose their right to tell the world about their lives through art. Please, make an emergency contribution to let the art be seen. On Thursday, September 8, 2011, MECA received the disturbing news that the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland decided to cancel “A Child’s View From Gaza,” an exhibit of Palestinian children’s art.

Let the Children Play and Heal

Much of the artwork featured in the exhibit originated from MECA’s psychosocial program called “Let the Children Play and Heal.” It was developed in early 2009 following Israel’s 23-day brutal military assault on Gaza that left an entire generation of children traumatized. The program supports trained social workers, supervised by a psychologist, to help children in Gaza cope with trauma through art, dance, music, and other creative expression.

If you are interested in supporting this important project:

Press Coverage of Museum Censorship of Palestinian Children's Art

For More Information:

09/09/11 MECA Press Release on MOCHA Cancelation of Palestinian Children's Art Exhibit
A video showing some of the artwork featured in “A Child’s View From Gaza”

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