Collective for a cause

A NEW community-based platform is hoping to raise awareness on humanitarian causes by fostering creative arts, and their first campaign shines a spotlight on the plight of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.

Amana Creative Collective was founded by Bahrainis, Maryam Abdulla, Fatima Al Saad, Maha Al Sahhaf and Tamadher Al Fahal and Palestinian-Saudi Ramah Al Husseini. While they come from different professional backgrounds, including art, academics and design, they all share a passion to make the world a better place.

Maryam, 37, is an interior design consultant and has been volunteering on social and educational projects for 15 years, Fatima, 40, is an educator and writer, Maha, 38, is an assistant director at Kanoo Museum where she curates creative projects and 35-year-old Ramah based in the kingdom is a freelance painter specialising in contemporary art.

“Amana is a campaign-based collective and our first set of initiatives is focused on the Palestinian cause,” Tamadher, an assistant professor at the University of Bahrain, told GulfWeekly. “We aspire to support other regional and international causes, including war-stricken Sudan and the crises-afflicted Democratic Republic of the Congo in the future.”

Amana is Arabic for ‘guardians of the community, custodians of history and the ones who foster a safe space for expression’. It’s the plural of the word Ameen, which is used to refer to someone faithful, honest and trustworthy.

Earlier this month, Amana partnered with Al Riwaq Art Space to host its first public interaction at The Nest, an annual festival curated by the gallery in Gufool. The event featured an interactive art installation, a kite-making workshop for children and a movie screening, raising awareness about the crisis in Gaza and providing people of all ages a platform to express solidarity with the cause.

“We are so happy to see such proactive participation from the local community in this initiative,” Tamadher said. “It was heartwarming to watch how emotionally invested people are with Gaza’s situation. It’s an honour to provide a platform for them to express their thoughts on the cause,” the 37-year-old added.

The event also featured the screening of a movie, Gaza is Our Home, produced by Palestinian filmmaker Monear Shaer, depicting the sufferings of victims of the war.

Born in the US to parents who were themselves born and raised in the besieged Gaza Strip, Monear has witnessed first-hand ‘the horrific differences between the privileged and the oppressed’. Devastated by the loss of 33 of his family members and 150 more trapped in Gaza, he quit his job as a real estate videographer in November last year and set out to produce the film, which released in January.

“I am honoured to have been a part of the Amana initiative and was pleasantly surprised at the engagement of the audience and the depth of the questions asked,” Monear, who had a live online Q&A session with the audience after the screening of his film, said.

“I wanted to unveil the untold and heart-wrenching realities faced by my own family. The Amana collective gave me an international outlet to have my own family’s voice heard. It’s through these kinds of events that all people can come together, and share our art, share our stories, share our laughter, share our tears, share our pain, and share our humanity.”

Al Riwaq representative Kawthar Al Arab also backed Amana’s cause.

“The essence of The Nest lies in providing a platform and a meeting point for artists and the art community, therefore, it was a great pleasure for us to support Amana with their initiative, and to help create social impact through the art, for a cause we all believe in,” Kawthar said.

Amana is planning more events in support of Palestine, including an independent week-long activation in May, featuring the works of 50 local and regional artists.

“We will showcase a diverse collection of artworks, from paintings to interactive installations, all focused on narrating stories of resilience from Gaza, honouring their martyrs, and manifesting a liberated Palestine,” Tamadher added.

“The event will also include discussion ‘circles’ that offer a safe space for expression and address the importance of art in narrating history and advocating for social justice.

“Furthermore, there will be a market with products developed by the collective that are humanitarian, ethical, and community-centred.” 

While the revenue generated from the events is at present primarily allocated for covering the costs associated with the activities and the provision of necessary materials, Amana is exploring opportunities to work alongside charities in Bahrain or other entities that facilitate aid delivery or employ alternative methods to extend support.

For more information, follow @we.are.amana on Instagram.