It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of conflict and displacement facing those in places around the world including Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen. Three Glasgow residents share the importance of international solidarity and how Glaswegians are coming together to support one another in the face of ongoing challenges

Interviews by Samar Jamal | Photo by Niall Miller

Palestine: Adam Shehada

I am from Gaza and grew up in Al Zeitoun, which borders the eastern side of Gaza. It has always been a war zone and suffered constant attacks since the start of the Second Intifada in 2000.

My childhood was full of displacement from one place to another, trying to escape every attack. My parents would take me from one place to another looking for safety. They would take me to my relative's house, just trying to protect and shield me from all the danger in that area.

I've seen a lot of protests in support of Palestine here. It shows the Glaswegian community’s support and humanity. The boycott movement is active here too. The people in Palestine don't have access to a lot of basic resources, but we see the support and we love the people here.

*Al-Nakba 2015: Inextinguishable Suns Collection*

I’m a self-taught pencil artist specialising in hyperrealism. My collection, Inextinguishable Suns, represents injustice and other world values not only limited to Palestine. I was invited to exhibit my work outside of Palestine several times but because of the blockade, I was prevented from going abroad and taking part. It was exhausting.

I created 13 artworks entitled Inextinguishable Suns. They’re about human values and the injustice the subjects represent. But they are world values, not only limited to Palestine. I only brought three artworks with me to the UK. I believe I have lost all my artwork because every house has been bombed. My art is not more precious than the souls that I’ve lost, but I feel like art is part of my body because I would spend days and nights creating one piece.

Organisations like Art Workers for Palestine are important because they use art as a powerful tool to amplify the voices of those affected by the genocide and to challenge the injustices being perpetuated. Through their artwork and activism, Art Workers for Palestine aim to shed light on the human rights violations, military occupation, and systemic discrimination faced by my people.

We can take away from the message of Art Workers for Palestine the importance of using creative expression as a form of resistance and solidarity. By engaging with the art and messages created by the group, people can educate themselves about the realities of the situation in Palestine, show support for the Palestinian people, and contribute to the global movement for justice and equality.

I would say there needs to be an emphasis on the challenges and the injustices that the people of Palestine are going through. The human rights violations that have been happening in Palestine for decades. Since 2006 there have been a lot of restrictions on movement and access to basic human rights such as water, electricity and the constant bombardment of the people in Gaza.

This is the worst genocide in Palestine. Continue showing solidarity, boycott, be brave and speak up for the injustice, and the double standards, and share on social media. If you’re able to, you can help people in Gaza by donating or sharing their campaigns, applying pressure on politicians who have power. Don’t get tired, even though the road can seem very long and your efforts don’t seem to be going anywhere, your actions matter and it’s making a difference.

It can be a long journey, unfortunately, for some people. Some people get bored but imagine this is the reality of the people in Palestine. You can't even look at it behind a screen from the comfort of your house while other people are living it.

Over 33, 000 people have been killed. These numbers have been announced, and thousands are under the rubble who have not been reported. There are over a hundred thousand people injured and hundreds of thousands have had their limbs amputated.

There are large numbers of children who lost their lives, women, men and young people. This is one aspect of the ongoing situation. Continue to raise awareness about the challenges faced by my people. It's important to continue to advocate and raise our voices, highlighting what's happening.

Continue showing solidarity, boycotting, being brave and speaking up for injustice, and against double standards. If you’re able to, you can help people in Gaza by donating or sharing their campaigns and applying pressure on politicians who have power. Don’t get tired – even though the road can seem very long and your efforts don’t seem to be going anywhere, your actions matter and it’s making a difference.

Sudan: Anonymous

It would be good to have more visibility of Sudan, the way people have come together for Palestine, but it doesn't have to be two separate things. We see ourselves as connected to the struggle of other people. It's not in isolation.

There's been a lot more direct action because it is a bit easier to see how to have direct action for the Palestininan cause. With Sudan, it seems a bit more complicated because of the news or trying to find out about what's going on with the war.

I think people think “I don't know how to influence what’s happening in Sudan” or they think “I don't know what it has to do with me.” You have to think about the fact that Sudan was colonised by Britain not that long ago; they became independent, but there have been lasting effects. We need to start thinking about it in a larger context of what our governments are responsible for and how they're upholding these cycles of violence in less stable countries. I think as consumers, voters, and citizens of the world, we are contributing to that by supporting specific groups and businesses.

People from the Sudanese community are expected to lead the way, which isn't always possible because people feel exhausted and disheartened by the situation. Check in on your Sudanese friends – just because we're not talking about it doesn't mean it's not affecting us or that we don't need help.

I had family members who had to flee Sudan. I felt helpless, and the only thing I could do was fundraise to get them to Cairo, start over, and build their lives again. It costs around $1000 to enter Egypt, unlike before. So fundraising is a huge way that people can help Sudan, and there are plenty of charities to donate to.

Or you can help by donating your time as people have done. Collective Wshwsh and club night Scandal.gla organised Jawahir, which raised £1670, and the funds were donated to Sunduq Al Sudan and Gaza Emergency Fund. The artists and the DJs were from a South Asian, Middle Eastern, or North African background. These cultures can be quite similar so it was a good way to bring people together.

People might go out on a Saturday night anyway, so at least with a fundraiser what they're paying for is going to do good for someone. If you can’t donate funds you can donate goods as part of a raffle or use your time to help organise events or raise awareness. There are also other organisations such as the non-partisan Sudanese Diaspora Network, which host fundraisers, and events to support Sudanese people in raising awareness.

Yemen: Intibint

Yemen has suffered a humanitarian crisis for 10 years now. A lot of Yemenis, as well as people from other backgrounds, have been vocal about Yemen. Unfortunately, when the community around you moves on, it is harder to continue being vocal about issues, even if they are important to you.

It's affected employment and education and we have a very big portion of the population is food insecure. We still have people that are living under starvation and we've only had a ceasefire for less than a year.

It's been so beautiful to see how Glasgow, Scotland, and the UK community have been able to come together for Palestine. It makes Glasgow feel like a safer place, especially at a time when the UK media has tried to create division through their Islamophobic narratives.

There has been such a huge amount of support that I didn't expect for Yemen and Palestine. I know Palestine is a completely different cause, but as an Arab and someone who grew up with this cause, it has always been something that was talked about. It was just so amazing to see it at the forefront for so many people.

Awareness has mostly been on a local level rather than an Institutional level. There’s a lot of work to do and I hope that we see more longevity this time. I'd like to communicate the message that at the end of the day, we might not be the ones that are experiencing the frontline of the issue but ultimately this does affect us. It does affect UK citizens. Taxpayer money is being used when it could be used for us. Like even as an artist, every artist I know is broke. That shouldn't be a thing.

I think there needs to be a bit more of an understanding that we can show solidarity to multiple causes in one go. And we can unite those causes when we think about how the perpetrators are linked.

The reality is that it’s not just a headline that we can focus on for a short period and then move on. It’s the experience of a large portion of a population for months and for years to come. I think people are starting to realise that there are people behind the information that we see. They are human beings experiencing these things.

I created the platform Al Yamaniah, (meaning Yemeni girl or woman) for artists of Yemeni heritage because there’s so much talent and skill. You mostly hear about oppression and suffering when reading about Yemeni women and whilst it’s important to be aware of the humanitarian situation, it’s important that Yemeni women get to tell their own stories and represent themselves. As there's also so much resilience, hope and talent among them, Al Yamaniah is a way for us to create our own narrative as Yemeni women.

During Ramadan, I sold illustrations and donated 50 percent of the profits to the Yemen Relief & Reconstruction Foundation. One was an illustration of a Yemeni woman wearing a traditional headdress. It’s been nice seeing them around Govanhill.

Another print said: “We will never forgive, we will never forget”. When we see destruction happening in our home country, there are feelings of helplessness or survivor's guilt that come up, but we can remind ourselves that we’ll use that and channel it to make a change – and not forget about what's happened.