Graffiti art in favor of the Palestinian cause

(Prensa Latina) Self-taught and since the age of 14, Belal Khaled has used the art of graffiti to defend the cause of Palestine and his drawings on the walls call for the freedom of his people.

Khaled arrived in Lebanon at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture and in the heart of Hamra, the capital's central community, he shaped his latest creation in solidarity with the millions of Palestinians besieged in the Gaza Strip and refugees in many nations.

For this young man, his works do not need galleries, museums or curators, they occupy streets and public spaces for the benefit of culture.

His murals, using the technique of combining calligraphy, typography and graffiti, are present in countries such as Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Lebanon.

Khaled's passion for graffiti was awakened in his native Gaza Strip when he observed the walls of the Khan Yunis camp in the south, whose walls are covered with writings, drawings and slogans, he told Prensa Latina.

Portraits of the martyrs and the events of the Palestinian Intifada (rebellion) motivated the first graffiti as a response to Israel's occupation and oppression of the people.

At 30 years old, the street artist is aware of the role of creators in producing content and travels anywhere in the world to convey a message of peace and resistance.

The brush, the sound of the brush, the warmth of colors and the expression of graphics can be stronger than the power of weapons, he said.

Far from his homeland, Khaled reaffirmed the obligation to protect Palestine, telling stories from the camps, the successes and courage of its citizens.

In Lebanon, the largest work of calligraphic art was completed, 35 meters long and 15 meters wide, with the combination of letters by poet Ghassan Matar and singer Julia Boutros, which pray: “with how much we build a better tomorrow, with how long will we continue and triumph.”

As highlighted, the graffiti in Hamra affirms that Palestine is the axis of the cause and its unjust condemnation will have the support of all the free peoples of the world.

Considered the Arab capital of refugees, Lebanon has more than 200,000 Palestinians in different host communities and in the camps of Sabra, Shatila, Burj al Barajneh and Al Rashidiyah, Khaled recorded his street art.

In the exchange, there was no lack of gratitude to the people of Latin America and the world for following Palestine's fight against Israel's attacks.

He wanted to travel to Cuba and draw a large graffiti as a message from an artist from the Gaza Strip to the example and rebellion of the Revolution.

Khaled challenges with his creativity the siege that the nations of the Middle East, especially Lebanon and Palestine, live under the conviction that culture constitutes a door to freedom.