Children colour butterflies for Palestine in Salt River

Fouzia Van Der Fort|Published 8 months ago

Salt River youth put pen to paper, colouring butterflies in support of Palestinian children.

Salt River children were in for a treat when a Palestinian musician played for them while they coloured butterflies representing the many children’s lives lost during the deadly ongoing conflict.

Adel Mseis, from Ramallah, played the oud, a Middle-Eastern short-neck lute-type, pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument at Daroel Ielm (Abode of knowledge), in Pope Street, Salt River, on Thursday June 27.

Palestinian musician Adel Mseis, plays the oud, while Nadia Agherdine, from Salt River, looks on.

He thanked the children and their parents for their support and raising awareness about the plight of the Palestinians.

Mr Mseis also taught the children an isiXhosa song titled Nkululeku (freedom), which was taught to him during a visit to the Bo-Kaap last month.

He was joined by artist Laura Vergara, from Colombia, who had collaborated with human rights activist Sandi Hanna on a Palestinian resistance artwork, which was posted around the classroom.

Artist Laura Vergara, from Colombia, collaborated with human rights activist Sandi Hanna on this Palestinian resistance artwork.

The children, aged between 7 and 12, coloured, stuck and glittered their pictures of the metamorphic insects.

Host Waseela Laattoe Everson, from the Salt River Heritage Society, said the children were able to create unique butterflies to memorialise the children, 12 000 and counting, killed in Israel’s military assault on Gaza.

Co-host Leila Omar, who stands on the steps of St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town every Wednesday between 1pm and 2pm in solidarity with Palestine, called on the children to join them with their butterflies.

Pictured at the back is Leila Omar, from the Salt River Heritage Society. In front are Layla Isaacs, her cousin Imran Amlay and his cousin Haifaa Isaacs, all from Walmer Estate.

The older children wrote messages of hope and prayers on postcards, with Ms Vergara’s artwork on the other side.

A girl wrote: “Hope you are safe and that this whole thing with Palestine ends soon.”

Another teen wrote: “We come from South Africa. I hope and pray Palestine will be free.”

Iffet Rafeeq, Bashir Abass and his mom Ilham Omar colour their butterflies.