As a young man in Gaza, Hamada drove heavy trucks for the family business. Once in Europe, his license wasn’t valid, so he turned his passion for painting into a means of survival and became a house painter.
At the age of 26, while still in Gaza, Hamada one day stumbled upon some leftover oil paint that someone had thrown out. Following his intuition, he began painting at night… and discovered not just a passion, but a true artistic talent. His brother, amazed by what he had found, gave him art supplies to encourage him to keep going. Over the next ten years, he painted many works and even had the chance to exhibit several times in Flanders.
His work is directly inspired by his life experiences in Gaza. As he puts it, he never studied art, doesn’t know art movements or famous artists… he simply paints whatever comes from inside him.
When we met him in Brussels, Aurélien and I — the ones behind this fundraising site — were running a place with artist studios. As it turned out, the place needed a good makeover, and Hamada was the perfect person for the job! Whether it’s dental offices, stairwells, restaurant murals, or children’s rooms, Hamada paints it all. He also works as a gardener and truly enjoys being close to nature.
Hamada is a hard worker. He hates being idle. Working also helps him endure his extremely difficult situation and channel the anxiety of being away from his children and from everything happening in Gaza.
Since coming back from Gaza, he hasn’t had the chance to paint as an artist anymore. With Asmaa and the children stuck in Egypt, the relentless pressure of providing for them means he can only paint for work. He no longer has the time or money to buy canvases or find a place to paint. And yet, after all the horror he has experienced, it would be the best possible therapy for him.
If we are asking for help to support his family today, it’s not because he isn’t stepping up. It’s because the situation is too unstable and much too heavy for him to handle on his own.
Offering him work through painting or gardening gigs is always a welcome way to help! But sponsoring his children here with a monthly donation — even a small one — will help him provide for their needs more steadily. It will also better protect his physical and psychological health, allowing him to continue being the best father he can be for them, and to keep working longer.
We hope that the relief this fundraising campaign brings to support the children will also allow him to occasionally pick up his brushes again — to give shape to things we cannot grasp through words, and to express the beauty we love in him!
To see his artwork, check out his Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/hamada_olba/
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“Written by Fabienne”