RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- Writer Rasha Farhat has published several books and collections of short stories to shed light on the reality of women in the Gaza Strip. At the beginning of her speech, she said, “I did not plan to be a writer, but when I began to write, I saw that writing is a way to shed light on the suffering of women, who are subjected to all forms of violence. For me, writing is one of my friends.”

Rasha Farhat first wrote stories and then published her first story on a website. “After my story was published on the website, I was asked to join a writers’ group in the Gaza Strip. I was also asked if I had written more stories. This encouraged me to prepare and publish my first collection of short stories titled, ‘A Pen and a New Dress’.”

Noting that her collection sheds light on issues of women and girls in the Gaza Strip, Rasha Farhat said, “I participated in many writing contests and won many awards. After publishing my first collections of short stories, I stopped writing stories. I wrote articles on social morality, public behavior and how to build a healthy society. Then, I collected my articles in a book. Then, I published a collection of short stories titled ‘Dandelion’. Dandelion is a plant growing anywhere without receiving any kind of care. But it has many benefits. This collection discusses our society’s concept of beauty of women and how women and girls are excluded from society due to this concept.”

This collection also discusses other issues such as treason, identity and the sense of belonging. “There is a story titled, ‘Bones Box’ in this collection. This story tells the suffering of the families of the prisoners who died and their bodies are kept by Israel. There are 30 short stories in this collection. All stories are about my experience and the experiences of other women facing political, ideological and social obstacles.”

Speaking about the challenges faced by her, as a writer in the Gaza Strip, Rasha Farhat said, “I face many challenges due to the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip. For instance, I cannot participate in international book fairs, literary festivals and conferences due to the blockade. Therefore, I do not have an opportunity to learn about other cultures and literary works. I want my collections of short stories to be translated into other languages to shed light on women's issues.”

New book

Rasha Farhat is now working on another book telling the reality of women journalists. “My book is about the working condition of women journalists and what they face while practicing their journalistic activities.”