Sawsan al-Khalili has “golden fingers” and a steel-like determination creating a model to challenge disability and to win prizes of excellence and creativity inside and outside Palestine.
The 46-year-old university graduate is one of the most famous women with disabilities in Gaza who is talented with distinctive artistic skills. She has led many marginalized women to a totally new reality thus wining local and international awards.
After a long career history in the heritage business Sawsan has recently focused her efforts on the traditional art of embroidery sewing embroidery on wooden-wares purses and some accessories.
Embroidery
Sawsan is proud to be the Secretary General of the General Union of Disabled Persons and a member of its Board of Directors where she runs a special project for the Palestinian heritage through which she promotes products made by disabled people to convey their message.
“I repeat what I have always said to the media if we have the potential we will be innovative and creative. I started with a small institution for embroidery and then organizers of exhibitions recognized my abilities. I started touring Europe with this embroidery.”
Sawsan does not prefer to discuss the details of her suffering with the community which makes fun of disabled people in Palestine (who make 44000 of the population); many of them suffer at schools streets and even lecture halls. Yet her experience gave her more insistence to reach excellence.
Years ago the Italian ‘EduKid’ Foundation got to know Sawsan’s work and financed a small project of hers and later hosted her in Italy. Her works were exhibited at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federation of Italian Municipalities as well as at exhibitions in France Belgium Romania Germany and Britain.
Despite her mastery of many arts she finally chose embroidery as her daily craft because embroidery wins the attention and admiration of people inside and outside Palestine according to her. She recruited five women with disabilities to work with her in her small project.
“In 2014 I was supported by the ‘EduKid’ Foundation I traveled to European capitals and offered my products. There I was surprised by the support I received. People bought my products at double prices in appreciation of my work.”
Sawsan chooses the colors and decorations from the Palestinian heritage and sometimes resorts to the Internet to integrate the past with the present. She is satisfied with producing limited products with good quality and does not work except with a famous exhibition in Gaza.
Pointing at her products which she has been touring Gaza with recently she says “Purses shawls and embroidered accessories need attention. They take hours of work. My work get really disturbed by the power cuts in the evening.”
Continuous support
Sawsan was able to support 32 women with disabilities as part of the project of ‘EduKid’ Foundation for Small Projects. She was chosen for the second time to represent women with disabilities yet the closure of crossings prevented her from traveling to Italy last month.
Sawsan won the trust of many institutions with disabilities. They entrusted her with launching a training program for 150 women in which women were taught the art of embroidery and drawing on glass wood and pottery.
She has extensive experience in conducting media interviews and established the Palestine Female Knights Club for the disabled. In 2015 she won the Excellent Woman Award.
Sawsan says that her love for poetry and writing have led to her participation in the Land and Peace song in London in 2011 but her attention is focused on the Arab Tarab singing style which she jokingly says is competing with the young Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf.
