Fatma Aljabari
“I decided to resist by drawing as it hurts me the least.”
Another war is looming, but this one is not like the other wars. It’s a war that was forced on us, so we fought it. I finally decided to write
Hello, my name is Fatima.
I am 24 years old. I was displaced from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip through the corridor that they said would be safe. I specialize in digital marketing, and I love art and adventures.
I never thought this could happen. It’s been five months that I have not been able to sleep in peace.
I have lost the ability to count my days, and I don’t know how they pass. I can no longer think or stop thinking. I live in a state of distraction. I have not seen my relatives and friends in a very long time. I have lost a lot. And every day that passes feels like a year.
I hope this life will end and I will return to the previous life where I had my personal drawing corners, my books, my notebooks and my desk. It was fun. I miss every corner of my room. I miss every corner of my life; my job and who I was.
I miss living a normal life: taking a step forward, moving, stumbling, getting up and starting to move forward again, falling on my face; getting up again, and continuing the walk.
No one in the world can fathom the extent of suffering the children in the Gaza Strip are going through. No one knows the missing parts of our story.
The world is a prison with a billion curses. I hate war with all my strength. I stand against it as we are defeated even if we win. People at large are defeated in their humanity at least, or at most - what do we live for when we lose our humanity?
But we are tired...
I'm tired and I want to go back to my life.
And you want to go back to your university.
The worker wants to return to work.
And the craftsman to his workshop.
The husband to his wife.
And the child to her parents.
This is our natural right.
I decided to resist by drawing as it hurts me the least.
I decided to embody our reality in our lives. I wanted to relieve everything that my heart held about this world as my city began to resemble horrifying zombie movies in a very frightening way.
