Shahd Abusalama

Shahd Abusalama

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Shahd Abusalama, 23, is a Palestinian artist, a blogger and an MA student in Media and the Middle East at University of London, SOAS. Shahd was born in Jabalia Refugee Camp where she lived most of her life, originally from Beit-Jerja, an ethnically cleansed village in what is called now 'Israel'. She got her undergraduate degree from Al-Azhar Univerisity- Gaza in English Literature.

She employs her talents for writing and drawing to portray her identity as a Palestinian and to make the voice of the oppressed people of Palestine heard. She is interested in conveying the images, experience and emotions of the Palestinian people as well as their pain, resilience and hopes. Being a daughter of a former Palestinian prisoner who spent 15 years in Israel's prisons has been the primary source of inspiration for her work fighting the ongoing injustice that faces her people every day. Some of her other passions are singing, drama, traditional Palestinian embroidery and Dabka, a form of traditional Palestinian dance.

Her widely read blog Palestine From My Eyes is the platform that she uses to express herself as a Palestinian youth living under the blockade of the Gaza Strip. She posts stories that shed light on marginalized political issues and human rights abuses brought about by the Israeli occupation. Her expression and art has a universal touch, believing in humanity as the main connection between all people. The blog is reproduced on the acclaimed activism website The Electronic Intifada. Moreover, an Italian version of her blog has been published in a book in October, 2013. She uses art as a means of communication, education and resistance, and her drawings have been displayed in several local and international exhibitions. Some of her artwork can be found in her flicker account and she can always be followed on Twitter @ShahdAbusalama.