Aida Camp + Ballare Co x
Narmeen Illustrations
Our first Ballare collaboration - Masks for Aida refugee camp designed by Narmeen Illustrations.
The Collaborators
A collective of three.
Palestinians. All with colourful origin stories. This is our collaborative message of celebration.
Of community and resistance, protecting each other, always.
Aida Camp -Bethlehem
If you find yourself wandering off Hebron road, close to the Apartheid Wall in Bethlehem, your senses will tingle with the sense that you’re close to something special. As your eyes detect graffiti depicting images of struggle and resilience, your ears prick at the sound of dabke music. There’s nothing quiet about this place, as waves of pedestrians ebb and flow. When you look up at the end of the road, you’re greeted with a striking archway, topped by a large key; “The Key of Return”. Created by the Aida Camp residents/council, it is a deeply personal symbol of peace, and the right of the refugee to return. Even after 72 years of displacement, this is not something that can be commodified.
Established in 1950, Aida is the second-largest refugee camp in Bethlehem, housing refugees from over 35 regions of Palestine. These areas have now been completely destroyed and occupied by Israel. It is also one of the most densely populated camps in Palestine, with over 6,000 registered residents. According to research by the Human Rights Centre at the Berkeley School of Law, it is one of the most highly tear-gassed camps on earth. Almost every single occupant has been exposed to tear gas, often inside their own homes. Despite all of this—rather, in spite of—the community maintains its spirit. Each generation strengthens the other, inspiring a sense of enterprise, and unwavering persistence. Their devotion to brightening the futures of their youth is palpable, dedicated, with an entrepreneurial edge. Welcome to Aida.
Why Masks for Aida Camp?
The COVID19 pandemic has shocked the entire world, but in densely populated refugee camps, it created waves of distress, in many layers. A community living under military occupation, during an economic crisis, with lack of food, medicine, and PPE, is crying for help. So when the first positive test was confirmed within the camp, we reached out to Mohammad Abu Srour, who is a valuable and instrumental force in this project, and within Aida Camp. Mohammad is the founder of Volunteer Palestine, an elected council member of Aida Camp and a beacon of change within the community. We discussed how Aida Camp had been left unsupported by entities such as UNRWA during this time, and had no PPE supplies or support for those at risk.
We started with a fundraising campaign to quickly distribute masks to those most in need i.e. those with chronic illness or vulnerable. The goal of this fundraiser was to obtain supplies, and then produce—in Bethlehem—a collection of sustainable, WHO-approved masks that are reusable, as to not contribute to landfill waste. It was essential to keep things at home in Palestine, and we worked with a local factory to manufacture the designs. BallareCo wanted to ensure that the masks were bright, positive and didn’t send a message of fear or illness. Instead the mask was a positive thing, that could be worn with pride and connected those who wore it to their identity. Our artistic collaborator Narmeen Hamadeh, took this concept and worked her magic to create a portfolio of nostalgic, but modern, unique Palestinian designs using Tatreez (embroidery), Palestinian flora, and Palestinian geography to bring the masks to life.
Impact
Via our crowdfunding campaign via social media we raised $7,000 AUD, to support the effort to produce and distribute masks in Aida Camp. To date, we have managed to distribute over 600 masks and medication for those with chronic illness (diabetes, blood pressure issues etc.) within the Aida community and another smaller camp close by, called Azza camp. We have received feedback that the youth are extremely excited to have received the masks, with the majority favouring our design with the map of Palestine. Because of the success and feedback we have had via our social media community, we have decided to use these masks as a way to continue supporting initiatives in the camp. Every mask sold on our site, will have 100% of the profits donated back to the camp to support the needs of the residents during this very trying time.
A Peace of Palestine
Full house during our panel discussion!
A Portrait exhibition exploring the meaning of the Palestinian Thoub to Palestinian women in diaspora.
April 2018
When we started, we had three objectives: 1) Provide an opportunity for Palestinian women to express the meaning of the Palestinian Thoub to them in the context of cultural resistance and provide an opportunity for them to express their own experiences through a panel discussion. 2) Allow an opportunity for the Palestinian youth in Sydney to connect with their culture and learn about the very rich heritage and various perspectives of their own identities. 3) Raise funds for UNRWA, in particular the only disability school in Gaza. 4) Allow the local non Palestinian community an opportunity to experience Palestinian heritage and hospitality, hopefully being offered a more positive and informative view of what it means to be Palestinian.
Through this event, we raised approximately $10,000 for the school, reignited passion within the Palestinian community for their culture, launched a female led Knafeh enterprise, engaged in thought provoking dialogue with the female panelists, offered a space for many women to express themselves, showcased Palestinian Tatreez and all its glory. Most importantly we raised awareness that there is indeed such as thing as a Palestinian identity and culture.
Finally, my cousin Assala (shoes named after her in our shop) and I (BallareCo) grew from the experience and taught ourselves that we had the innate power and resilience to bring people together to celebrate a culture we are in love with, and dream to preserve, whilst also helping others.
