The first mural of “The Names of Freedom” in Santiago

Schoolchildren from Chile and Gaza create murals in solidarity with children from Palestine
Today, the first mural of “The Names of Freedom” is inaugurated in Santiago de Chile. An international initiative of participatory murals where, based on photographs and videos of children in Gaza, school communities worldwide and prominent visual artists create murals in solidarity with the children of Palestine.

The first mural was made in a public school in Santiago de Chile and is conceived as a pilot that will be replicated in other educational communities, with the children of Gaza as constant collaborators. The main objective of this project is to promote, through group art, a culture of peace and equality between boys and girls in school and community environments.
The Names of Freedom

“The murals of ‘The Names of Freedom’ seek to raise global awareness about the urgent need to stop the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. It aims to impact global public opinion to demand a permanent and immediate ceasefire and the recognition of the inalienable human rights of the children of Palestine,” the initiative says.
Activities

The current situation in the Gaza Strip prevents schools from operating. Many have been completely destroyed and there are active humanitarian organizations that are developing important educational activities.
“School Without Borders” is one of them and carried out awareness-raising and emotional support actions with children in Gaza. One of the activities consisted of making drawings with their names on cardboard and then taking a photo, which was sent to Chile so that students from the Horacio Aravena Andaur School could translate the names into the Latin alphabet, write them on the paper and make a drawing for each one based on the wish that each Palestinian child expressed in their photo.

The poster boards made in Chile are an important part of the mural’s development, as they were glued directly to the wall and are part of the design made by the prominent visual artist and muralist Ian Pierce, known as Ekeko. This Chilean-American muralist, who has lived in Santiago for many years, has created works of art in several countries, such as Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, the United States and Canada. Ekeko specializes in the development of mural projects with an emphasis on community art for educational purposes. His work addresses themes such as memory, human rights and collective identity.
“Our intention is to make as many of these international solidarity murals as possible, connecting with teachers, artists and, of course, children from different countries. Currently, we have artists interested in participating in London, Philadelphia, Puerto Rico and Peru. Once the pilot mural in Chile/Gaza is finished, we will begin to contact more sponsors and organizations that will be able to expand the project worldwide,” says the artist, who together with the school community will inaugurate the mural today, Monday, December 23, at 6:30 p.m., at the Horacio Aravena Andaur School, located at Ureta Cox 401, San Joaquín commune. This will be the first mural of this important project for peace in Gaza.
Source