we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Basman Derawi

  • Gaza Strip
  • Diaspora

Basman Derawi was born in Kuwait and lived there for two years before coming to Gaza. A physiotherapist for the Ministry of Health, he graduated from Al-Azhar University in 2010 and was in Egypt taking a course in physiotherapy in October 2023, and has had to remain in Egypt since then.

He thinks of writing as a remedy — a tool that can change the world and be used as resistance. He is inspired by music, movies, and people with special needs. One of his dreams as a Palestinian is to share and show Palestinians’ real faces as they struggle and work for their rights. He also loves to read, cook, and play video games and basketball.

Current as of December 2024

 

 

my work

Man wearing kaffiyeh pulling Santa's sleigh filled with shroud-wrapped bodies. Santa's hat is on the ground.

The body of Santa

Some witnesses confirm they saw him / distributing presents in Ahli hospital / before the bombs destroyed it.

Basman Derawi
  • Gaza Strip
  • Diaspora
Person crouching under airplanes.

What if?

Pages of history drip with my blood / and my grandfather’s tears / for his murdered olive tree.

Basman Derawi
  • Gaza Strip
  • Diaspora

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