Pushing for creativity in Palestine.

In the eyes of the Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC) located in Hebron, the Arts Olympiad was an opportunity for the children of Palestine to visually report and express their lives to the outside world.
The guideline to create artwork was based on the theme of "My Favorite Sport," however, the Palestinian children's submissions were influenced by the current conflict and violent realities of their daily lives. Their visual expressions were invaded by fear. Soccer fields transformed into battlegrounds filled with barbed wire and tanks, while the use of red and black disrupted the portrayal of green playing grounds.
Samih Abu Zakieh, an artist and a founder of PCAC, says the Palestinian children's ability to play and learn from sports is in danger, as opportunities and activities are being taken away as the issues of safety worsen.
The PCAC was founded in 1994 as the first Palestinian network for children to provide activities and programs for the intellectual and creative development of Palestine's children. In the first years of PCAC, the importance of bringing smiles back to the faces of the children was the key goal--to create an environment where they could freely play, dance, sing and learn. Now PCAC has expanded to include opportunities for festivals, art workshops and children's rights education.
Although the PCAC has faced hardships in funding, the founders remain passionate and dedicated to their original goals to serve and cultivate the minds of children. This commitment has given hope to the children who have had the rare opportunity to freely express themselves. The optimism that fuels PCAC continues to rest on the open possibilities of children creating a better, more peaceful future.




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