The Qatar Foundation’s Education City Gift Shop has recently introduced a new product line called Ahlam, meaning ‘dreams’, which is a collaborative effort between Belal Khaled, a Palestinian artist and journalist, and a group of women from Gaza currently in Doha for medical treatment. Khaled’s initial artwork of the word Ahlam in Arabic calligraphy on a collapsed building in Gaza symbolizes shattered dreams and the children who perished beneath it. Today, this artwork is brought to life through Tatreez, the Palestinian cross-stitch, skillfully embroidered by the women of Gaza, showcasing their spirit and dreams despite facing tragedy.
Each T-shirt in the Ahlam product line is hand-embroidered, taking an artist approximately 8-10 hours to complete. These unique shirts are exclusively available for purchase at the Education City Gift Shop branches in the Qatar Foundation Headquarters building and the Education City Student Center, with all profits directly benefitting the women from Gaza. The idea for this product line originated from Tatreez workshops organized by Qatar Foundation volunteers, providing women with a space to express their talent and potentially earn a livelihood through their artwork.
Nisreen Alshbani, an artist involved in the Ahlam project, expressed how the Tatreez workshops enabled the women to come together in an act of ‘resistance’ through art, forming a supportive community amidst their separation from family and loved ones. Enshirah Alshawaf, another artist working on Ahlam, shared how Tatreez was a childhood hobby she revisited in her 60s, finding purpose and the ability to financially support her family through this project. The women see this collaboration as a way to actively contribute to their families, moving beyond feelings of helplessness to empowerment.
Belal Khaled, reflecting on the collaboration, emphasized the significance of dreams in people’s lives, stating that dreaming is a powerful act in itself. The Ahlam product line not only showcases the artistic talent of the women from Gaza but also provides them with a platform to generate income and support their families. Through this project, these women are not only preserving traditional art forms like Tatreez but also creating a sense of purpose and community in a challenging environment, proving that dreams can indeed become a reality through determination and collaboration.
