Seb Toussaint

Rafif chose the word الحياة which means ”life’ in Arabic.

Rafif is 11 years old and has a whole life ahead of her. She hopes that somehow it will be good, and that Palestinians will be able to live in peace. She doesn’t know what that will look like but she wants it badly.
I tried putting all those positive vibes into my piece by adding some movement and energy. I’ve known Rafif for a year and a half and she’s just so sweet and generous with everyone. It’s unusual for me to paint for people I already know!

Jamila, 16 years old, chose the word إبداع which means “creativity”. She is a bit of a rebel and won’t listen to people who want to tell her how to live her as a teenager or as a woman. Creativity is what she is going for in life, creating a path of her own, whether people like it or not! 

Oma Mohamad, (close to 80 years old) chose the word التعاون which means “cooperation”. She told me that she has experienced a lot of cooperation on a small scale in her refugee camp. Her family arrived from what is now Israel in 1948 to an empty piece of land. Since then, and thanks to families cooperating, the camp has evolved with concrete housing, new schools, paved roads and small businesses setting up. Although Balata Refugee Camp is a rough place because of its role at the forefront of Palestinian resistance, there’s almost no violence between the inhabitants themselves who’ve always stood together and cooperated. The trouble has always been with outside forces.

Oma Mohamad told me that she would like to see more cooperation on a larger scale in order to live in a peaceful world. The powerful people who rule our countries have a lot to learn from the humble people of Balata.

Yara chose the word فرحة, which means “happiness” in arabic. Yara and I met a year and a half ago as she lives on the same street as I here in the refugee camp. Yara and her family are always inviting me for food and making lemonade for me. And Yara definitely stands for happiness on this street! I could have guessed she was going to choose this word!
Last time I was here she chose the word “my mother” because her mother was ill and she wanted the wall to be a surprise for her. This year her mum’s a lot better and Yara smile is an even bigger one!

Fatima chose the word ” المرأة ” (the arabic word for “woman”) . She says that being a woman in Balata Refugee Camp isn’t the end of the world but it could be a lot better. There’s a lot the next generation should do to change things for the best!

Fatima is a teacher in this little school in the camp. This is the first mural I’ve painted since coming back to Palestine. I’ve been having great fun seeing friends I’d made here and who weren’t expecting I’d ever come back! Thank you to @beyondusnonprofit for giving me this opportunity!

This is my last mural of this episode on the island of Maoré. My pupils chose the word “Maungadunia”, the Maoré word for “youth” and wanted me to paint it on the most visible wall of the village. Local tales stress the importance of trusting the younger generations and pushing them forwards. This word was chosen by the youth, for the youth. They face many challenges especially since there aren’t enough schools on the island for every child to be able to attend full-time. Some kids get to secondary school but still can’t read or write. However, they’ve shown me great willingness to learn, and they’ve put in so much hard work while painting with me, that I leave Maoré with a lot of hope!

Big thank you to Juliet, Nafissa and Julian and the ARLL! Marahaba to the inhabitants of Ongojou!

The best part in all my projects is getting to know a community and their culture(s). The people here in Ongojou on the island of Maoré have been very supportive of the project! I’m always very thankful for the amount of stuff I’m taught and the trust that people give me from the start. I’m brought to believe people trust artists more than polititians, tourists or NGOs. Staying in a same place for several weeks gives me a real feeling of how people live, love, laugh, play, wash, eat, pray, party, and grieve. And it also gives my pupils time to sharpen their skills!

“Zema” is the Shimaoré word for “goodness”. It was chosen by the youth of Ongojou on the island of Maoré. They chose it because it is a core value in the local tales where being good to others always pays off! 

 

“Udjama” means unity. The local kids chose this word because their village was formed by people who were kicked out of an owner’s land. But the tight community stood together and found a new place to live where they could acces water and grow crops.