2023: A Year of Pressing Questions on the Right to Justice and the Value of Solidarity

Dear partners and friends,

We end this year in grief and concern over the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza and across Palestine, as the onslaught of crimes against them continues. Our primary wish as the year comes to an end is an immediate ceasefire. We also believe that practical acts of solidarity with the Palestinian people are an utmost priority and a shared responsibility for all. Committing to supporting cultural organizations operating in Palestine is key to the current and upcoming efforts to confront this unprecedented catastrophe.

We have questioned the role played by art and cultural practices in disaster contexts throughout the year, particularly in the aftermath of the earthquake in February which resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries. In partnership with Action for Hope as well as others, the Ahliyeh initiative was put forth to identify the role of the arts during crisis and/or conflict. Under the Ahliyeh initiative, we collaborated with ten organizations to design support frameworks and offer various services including art services, protection, and legal support. This initiative also enabled us to train our thinking processes to ensure we maintain relevance and commitment to our mission. Now, we would like to explore further how to activate the role of the diaspora and the cultural sector abroad to strengthen our responses to the challenges in the Arab region.

As the year ends, more questions are raised in terms of our potential role as a cultural organization and as art and cultural practitioners within the context of crisis in our vulnerable communities. As a result, we have developed the components and scope of SANAD to reach new groups and establish new partnerships, all while maintaining other commitments to support art and research production as well as training.

We would like to express our utmost thanks and gratitude to the artists, researchers, and organizations we had the pleasure of supporting and those with whom we cooperated this year. We look forward to future collaborations and hope to help alleviate some of the pain felt throughout this corner of the world.
We wish you all a new and more just year ahead.

Artwork Title: Gaza Diary No 3, by Taysir Batniji
"Looking from afar at the place from which I came [Gaza] has evoked in me a new sense of awareness, a need to share my story as an artist and a Palestinian."