Students and faculty of San Diego City College gathered for a presentation on the history of Palestine through the art of local Palestinian artist Lorain Khalil Rihan on Mar. 6 in the MS-140 conference room.
The space was filled to capacity with 80 students focused and listening to Rihan’s stories. Some students chose to capture the moment by taking photographs, while others took notes.
Rihan shared a glimpse of her family history and the massacres that have taken place on Palestinian land, setting the stage for what her artwork explores.
A multimedia presentation featured Rihan’s projects “Where Do We Run When The Earth Shakes?” and “Returning to Palestine,” giving insight into the creation of the projects.
In “Where Do We Run When The Earth Shakes?” Rihan hand embroidered across six black and white keffiyehs the names of 1,415 Palestinians who were massacred in the Gaza Strip between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009 by the Israeli military.
Rihan’s passion for art sparked as a child. From a young age, she experienced the intertwining of art and education.
“I learned a lot about different parts of the world and different people’s struggles actually through the arts,” Rihan said. “So I started to appreciate how art can explore politics and imagine new worlds.”
Presently, Rihan’s focus has shifted, as she pours most of her energy into presentations and education.
“I will return to making (art) again,” Rihan said, “but I think at the moment the priority is teaching and raising awareness, and encouraging people to use their own voice and use their own gifts to talk about Palestine.”
Among the attendees, student Majdy Bell liked that a Palestinian-centered event was being hosted at City College.
“I’ve been to other activities (centered) around Palestinian liberation and thought it was really cool that we were going to have one on campus,” Bell said. “Also, with the tied-in aspect of (Rihan) being a creator was very interesting.”
Rihan began the event with a welcome address honoring the land City College is built upon. She acknowledged the professors and educators who teach about Palestine and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to teach about her work on a college campus.
Bell expressed his appreciation for the representation of Palestine at City College as well.
“(I’m) grateful that there’s space for students to be able to express and commune with people who are also going through similar struggles,” Bell said. “There is space and room for our stories to be told and held (at City College), and not just shut down like (they) seem to be in a lot of other places.”
To learn more about Lorain Khalil Rihan and her work, visit here.
To learn more about the reactions around campus related to Palestine, visit here.
