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Naarm In Solidarity with Palestine II

Curated by Palestinian artist YARA in collaboration with Naarm’s MUDRAT, this event is being run entirely not-for-profit, with all funds donated as mutual aid to assist a Palestinian family in exiting Gaza.

The event will showcase an all POC lineup featuring Ijale, Sebastian, ata2ud (DJ), and headlined by YARA. Additionally, we will have two incredible guest speakers, who will be announced closer to the date.

We will also be running a raffle on the night to help raise additional funds, with wonderful prizes donated by legends such as Soleila, Safa Elsamad, Aki Yaguchi, and more.

The last solidarity fundraiser we held in December 2023 was an outstanding success, completely selling out with over 400 tickets sold and nearly $11,000 raised, all of which was donated to APAN. We featured an all BIPOC lineup and had the honour of hosting distinguished guest speakers, Senator Lidia Thorpe and APAN President Nasser Mashni.

For the upcoming event, we aim to replicate the successful model of our previous gathering. However, given the current situation in Rafah, we have decided to allocate the funds raised to assist a Palestinian family in safely crossing the border into Egypt. Ruaa Abu Watfa’s family, who hold personal significance as they are family friends of YARA, and the GoFundMe campaign through which the funds will be donated is managed by YARA’s sister.

A letter from Ruaa’s GoFundMe:

“Hello, my name is Ruaa Majed Abu Watfa. I am a graduate from Al-Quds Open University with distinction and honours. Like any ambitious young woman, I had several attempts to find job opportunities to pursue my modest dream. However, being in Palestine, specifically Gaza, that dream has become a thing of the past. We have been struck by a war that knows nothing but killing and death. I have lost over 30 relatives, and my small family has lost our home and everything we could possibly lose in this war. Clean water has become a difficult dream to achieve, and so has food. Medical needs like medications have also become a harder dream to attain.

My family, consisting of seven members, now lives in one room. We sleep on the floor due to the difficulty of getting blankets to keep warm. We share whatever scarce food we manage to get. My father, who used to work as a doctor, has also become a victim, as the war has stolen almost all of his health. He suffered from a disease in his colon and was always undergoing treatment, but now the situation has worsened due to the daily struggle to get firewood and basic needs, leading to a back injury with no access to treatment or medication.

My younger sister Rima, also had a dream she fought to pursue. She was studying dentistry, but unfortunately, even inanimate objects were harmed by this war. Universities exploded, making her dream impossible. My brother Kareem, who is younger than me, was in his final year of high school. He had friends he loved and who loved him, but sadly, both the friends he studied with and the school to continue his education were lost.

The corpses of dreams inhabit every corner of our city. We have nothing left but to survive today and tomorrow. I had a desire to work abroad, but even in this devastating forced circumstance, we were not given the right to leave in a dignified way. Money is also no longer available like other means of normal life. I am a person who only desires to live a decent life. My family and I have exhausted all other options but to ask the outside world for help. Please, help me and my small family survive and donate so we can continue what little life we had”.