RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- Due to social pressure, many women in the Gaza Strip face barriers when they want to be engaged in the arts. Although recent intellectual development has changed the thoughts of many families, some families still do not allow women to be engaged in the art.

 

Samah Saqallah, who is in her forties, has a beautiful voice; however, she was forced into a marriage by her family in order to prevent her from improving her talent. “My musical journey started when I joined a folk musical group. Although everyone loved my voice, my parents were worried about what people would say. Therefore, my brother asked me to leave the group when I was twenty years old. Then, I was forced into a marriage,” she said.

 

Hana Al-Ghoul has been working in the cinema and theater industries for about seven years. She has witnessed many women working in this industry prefer not to tell their families that they work in this industry due to social pressure. “I discovered this when I asked them to share the video of our performance on their social media accounts. When I asked them why they did not share the video, they told me their parents do not allow them to work in this industry. Actually parents do not allow their daughters to work in such industries due to social pressure.”

 

Hana Al-Ghoul told us what she witnessed when she needed a young woman to perform in a theatre play. “I was looking for a young woman to perform in a theatre play; however, I could not find a woman because all young women were afraid of social pressure. So one of male players wore a dress and a wig to perform in the theatre play.”