Stories
Seventeen stories were published on our website in the last two months. Here’s a sampling.
Ahmad Manasrah’s lost childhood
By Fedaa Al-Soufi | March 16
Ahmad wakes up alone in a dark cell in the Ramla prison. He tries to stand, but his cuffed hands and shackled legs make any movement difficult. It is another day of drowning in the dark four walls of the cell, which tightens his vision and traps him and his dreams.
Three wars old
Samah AbuAshiba | March 14
Do you know what it’s like to be called a refugee in your own country, to struggle and fight for a thing that’s supposed to be your birthright? How about what it feels like to sleep with your ear to the ground, always on alert and ready to flee? This is what happens here in Gaza, and this is Samah’s story.
Outrage is selective
Basman Al-Derawi | March 1
In this poem, Basman shows solidarity with Ukraine and draws a parallel between what’s happening in Ukraine and what’s been happening in Palestine since 1948.
Arrested for writing… a poem
Salma Amin | February 28
Cuffed by the hands and the legs, she entered the prison after three years of court trials and faced an uncertain fate. Dareen Tatour’s crime? Writing a poem.
My Christopher Robin
Afaf Al-Najjar | February 1
On the bright side, Afaf tells her childhood story about her connection with Winnie the Pooh and describes her friendship with her best friend.
See all stories.
Events
WANN helps build up our writers, through writing of course, but also through educational, civic and cultural activities.
Writers met with Dr. Ahmed Wuhaidi
March 17, 2022 | Our writers met with Dr. Mohammed Wuhaidi, the former manager of Palestine TV. Dr. Wuhaidi is a Palestinian journalist who works with different international media outlets. His seminar was about Media and the Western Discourse. It was a fruitful training session.
Writers ran in a marathon against the Apartheid Wall
March 11, 2022 | Some of our writers went on a run in the streets of Gaza City for an event that was launched by the Amos Trust, named Run The Wall. This activity took place in sync with hundreds of runners from around the world who each committed to run 750 km, the length of the Israeli Apartheid Wall in Palestine. The purpose of Run the Wall is to advocate with our people in the West Bank against the Wall. Other objectives of the event are to demand freedom of movement for Palestinians and to raise £25,000 toward the cost of rebuilding a demolished Palestinian home.
Our writers joined a Tweetstorm
March 8, 2022 | On International Women’s Day, our writers joined a tweetstorm about Palestinian women’s rights, in cooperation with Cinta Gaza Malaysia and PALM For Strategic Studies. We tweeted about how Palestinian women have been deprived of their basic rights as they’re living under the occupation.
Women from WANN distributed flowers
March 8, 2022 | Also on International Women’s Day, three of our female writers along with Somaia, our social media coordinator, went out into Gaza’s streets to places where women work. We gave the women flowers as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts and recognition of their important role in the community.
Watch the video made during this tour.
Writers visited a cultural exhibit
March 7, 2022 | To integrate our writers into the community, we took them on a visit to the exhibit. Theatre and Palestinian Arts: Women and Inclusive Peace, held by the Islamic University of Gaza in cooperation with Glasgow University. The exhibit was about the role of women in theatre and resistance.
Staff met with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
March 2, 2022 | Our staff members and two of our writers met a delegation from the German organization Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and spoke to them about our project. We also discussed potential future partnerships, and we gave them a copy of our book. It was a fruitful meeting for both parties.
We took you on a virtual tour
Feb. 25, 2022 | The highlight of the last two months is that we took you on a virtual tour of the historical places in Gaza conducted by three of our writers, Hossam, Zaina, and Hind. The tour was conducted in partnership with our friends at the Amos Trust organization.
Watch the video.
WANN celebrated the winners of the short story contest
Feb. 24, 2022 | We celebrated the conclusion of the writing contest sponsored by Cinta Gaza Malaysia. The contest called for essays about people’s first-hand experiences during the latest attack on Gaza. The top awards went to Eman Basher, first place; Hanan Abukmail, second place; and Anas Jnena, third place.
Writers visited Al-Rantisi Hospital
Feb. 1, 2022 | Writers and staff members visited Al-Rantisii Hospital to meet children with kidney failure and to write their stories and share their suffering and experience.
We played with them, sang for them, took pictures with them and gave them some gifts. We also interviewed their parents to obtain details about the children’s situations.
Who wrote this?
Hello there, I am Zainab Bahsheer, I work as a project assistant at We Are Not Numbers, and I’m only 20!
I have been working at WANN since I was 19. Everyone told me that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with both my work and college life, but here I just submitted an assignment and am writing you this newsletter.
