In July 2023, We Are Not Numbers (WANN) published five stories. WANNers participated in one activity and seven training sessions.
Stories
Shattered dreams: Gaza youth yearn for a life free from fear
July 12, 2023 I Haneen Abed Elnaby I We rebuilt our shattered home, but I knew I would never feel safe there again.
Gazans carry on during latest Israeli attack on Gaza
July 13, 2023 I Khaled Mohammed El-Hissy I “Wars are in every home: in Ukraine and in Palestine. Where should I escape now?”
Love in Gaza: When becoming a bride is no longer a joy
July 17, 2023 I Nada Hazem Al Kahlout I “I don’t know if killing innocent civilians is intentional, but I do know that killing joy in Gaza is.”
‘Palestine’s Pearl’: Tunisian street artists celebrate Palestinian culture
July 19, 2023 I Majd Salem I “I will always practice art, until one day I return with my mother to our city of Nazareth.”
July 20, 2023 I Mariam Mohammed Al khateeb I We tell our stories to raise awareness of the ceaseless violence against Palestinians.
Activities
The Victorian Era Day
Our writers took part in “The Victorian Era Day” exhibition, which was organized by the Faculty of Art at the Islamic University of Gaza. The exhibition featured several sections that highlighted Victorian literature, prominent poets, and popular customs.
Sessions
Session on photos and films
WANN held a session on photography and filmmaking, featuring Gaza-based photojournalist Mohammed Zaanoun, who has received Arab and international awards for his work. Zaanoun provided valuable insights on capturing high-quality photographs.
These sessions are part of an effort to enhance the writers’ skills beyond writing, aiming to develop their capacity for documenting human rights violations and portraying the human stories behind victim statistics in the news.
Telling stories of the victims through photographs
WANN has completed the first phase of the Norwegian Photography Activity, which focuses on telling the stories of Palestinians through photographs. In this session, our WANNers shared a series of photos taken by themselves, which were evaluated by Kent Klich, the project lecturer.
Writing workshop on theatre
WANN conducted a writing workshop on theater with Dr. Samah Sabawi, an award-winning playwright, author, and poet. During this workshop, our writers discussed Dr. Sabawi’s play “Tales of a City by the Sea.” In addition, she explained how to develop a play’s plot and characters.
“Small details: A window into the big picture”
WANNers held a session with Jen Marlow, an award-winning author, filmmaker, playwright, and human rights activist, and Jordana Rubenstein a filmmaker and visual artist and Just Vision’s Public Engagement Associate. During this session, Jen and Jordana applied some exercises on free writing and imagination and discussed the “small details” technique in writing.
Great titles, great openings & great sentence summaries
WANN hosted Catherine Baker, WANN’s senior editor, who delivered a lecture on “Great Titles, Great Openings, and Great Sentence Summaries.” During the session, Catherine elaborated on the best methods to engage readers and techniques for establishing a strong impact on them.
Story writing story processes
WANN held a session with Enas Ghannam, WANN’s project manager, on the story-writing processes.
Palestine Deep Dive
In partnership with Palestine Deep Dive, WANN’s writers participated in a webinar hosted by Mark Seddon. Our writers shared their experiences of living under Israel’s suffocating siege on Gaza and the impact it has had on the humanitarian situation and services. In the webinar, WANNers expressed their demands that their humanity be recognized by the international community.
