This online exhibition is a legacy created to illustrate Multaka’s longstanding partnerships with two organisations, Al Amari Women’s Program Centre and the Oxford Ramallah Friendship Association.
In the summer of 2023, expert embroiderers from the women’s centre, based in Al Amari Refugee Camp in Ramallah visited Oxford to share the power and beauty of Palestinian cultural heritage and tatreez with local communities. Collaborating with the artists, Oxford Ramallah Friendship Association and Palestinian communities and organisations based in Oxfordshire, the museum facilitated a series of tatreez museum research sessions, workshops, and a pop exhibition. The events were a celebration of Palestinian stitching, craft and culture from before the Nakba through to the present day.
At the time of these events in 2023 it was the 75th anniversary of the Nakba — the Arabic term used to describe the catastrophic events of 1948, when 531 Palestinian towns and villages were depopulated and destroyed, and up to 85% Palestinians were forced into exile or displaced. Much had to be left behind, but traditional culture stayed powerfully present and remained at the centre of Palestinian society.
Sadly, the threat to Palestinian culture, life and existence continues in Gaza and the West Bank. The 2025 Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council) concluded that the acts committed amounted to genocide.
The message of Sumud (steadfastness) and the honouring of Palestinian roots and homeland are as important today as ever.
View online exhibition below
Click on the three dots [...] in bottom right corner to enter full screen for optimal viewing.
https://view.genially.com/66b64a4fd7c59b1db2f84638
