The ‘Women In War – Palestine’ exhibition, opening on September 24, 2024, at CAP Gallery in Kuwait, is a significant event for art and philanthropy in the MENA region. Under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Ali AlYahya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the exhibition will showcase a diverse collection of original artworks from over 100 artists representing 20 countries. These artists have generously contributed their works to support the Intisar Foundation’s mental health programs, which use drama therapy to assist Palestinian women affected by the ongoing war.
The high-profile event will be attended by His Excellency Ambassador Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad AlSabah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and curated by the Kuwaiti art curator Amira Behbehani. The exhibition not only offers a platform for artistic expression but also serves as a call to action, aiming to inspire global support for Palestinian women through psychological support initiatives.
Founded by Her Excellency Sheikha Intisar Salem Ali AlSabah, the Intisar Foundation has been at the forefront of providing trauma recovery for women affected by war. Sheikha Intisar expressed her hope that the exhibition will raise awareness and inspire action, stating, “This will not be just a display of art, but a movement for peace and empowerment.”
In addition to the exhibition, a roundtable discussion titled ‘Women, Peace, and Mental Health’ will precede the opening, featuring prominent speakers from various humanitarian and medical fields. With artworks also available online, the event seeks to reach a wider audience and foster global solidarity for the cause of Palestinian women.
Interview with HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah
Your belief in empowering Arab women as impactful peacemakers is core to the Intisar Foundation. How do you envision expanding this mission to other regions beyond the Arab world?
Our programmes are delivered in Arabic, by Arab drama therapists, and within the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan, but they can be expanded to all other 20 countries of the Arab world. Plus, when we start implementing online sessions, our reach will be more than 400 million Arabic-speaking populations around the world. I am confident that, with the right support, we will be able to do this in the future.
How does the foundation overcome cultural, social, and language barriers to ensure effective, culturally competent psychological support for Arab women in need?
We have overcome it by adjusting the Western concept of drama therapy to suit the social and cultural context of Arab women traumatised by war and violence. The personal transformations we have witnessed could not have been achieved with talk therapies or any similar approach.
Firstly, drama therapy works on three levels – body, mind, and emotions – because it is a neuroscience-based approach, and this is what makes it the most complete/comprehensive therapy. Most therapies address only the intellect, ignoring that trauma is stored in our bodies and emotions too.
Secondly, psychological programmes that are offered as arts-based cultural activities, rather than mental health support programmes, benefit those who might suffer from internalised stigma and those who fear social stigma and could be ostracised or discredited for seeking mental health support. That negative attitude towards seeking mental health is quite common in our Arab culture.
Our programmes consist of 12 to 16 weekly sessions of drama therapy for a group of no more than 20 women. This group-led process instead of an individual-focused activity fosters a sense of belonging and dialogue among participants which is particularly important in societies with a lot of friction.
We don’t face any language barriers as our programmes are delivered in Arabic, by Arab drama therapists, and in cooperation with local non-governmental organisations which have a deep understanding of regional context and are able accurately to gauge local sentiment.
Also, our model is unique because we involve researchers who have different views from therapists, and we also have a research department that looks at the data and scrutinizes it for changes and improvements.
Interestingly, we have seen drama therapy proving itself capable of changing deeply entrenched cultural narratives, such as Arab women ending the practice of child marriages due to a newly adopted belief that they can protect their daughters by encouraging them to gain education instead of marrying them off. Female victims of domestic violence whose unhealed trauma resulted in them becoming prone to physical violence towards their children now display composure and mental and emotional control. We seem to have found a way to end a cycle of violence in Arab families traumatised by war.
It is important to note that we have developed this approach for the Arab world, but our solutions are not only restricted to Arab societies but can be beneficial to any region with high rates of refugee and war-affected populations and a culture which stigmatizes mental health.
That is our gift to the world.
The One Million Arab Women initiative is an ambitious goal. What strategies will help scale this initiative over the next 30 years, and what milestones have you achieved so far?
We will reach that goal with many successful projects within these 30 years, and “Women in War – Palestine” is just one of them. In any case, if we focus on the healing of the Arab women who desperately need our help, instead of chasing the numbers, we will reach even more than one million Arab women.
How do you see your foundation’s research in drama therapy shaping the future of mental health care for Arab women and the broader Arab world?
We conduct rigorous in-house research to help offset the significant dearth of research in the field of drama therapy in the Arab world, but also in the mental health area in general. For decades, we have witnessed only underinvestment and stigma around addressing people’s mental health needs, so any kind of research and gathering data from the Arab world is more than beneficial.
Plus, we have pledged to expand the pool of knowledgeable and qualified drama therapists in the Middle East by providing scholarships for master’s studies in drama therapy to female Arab students at the USEK, Lebanon. These future drama therapy practitioners will contribute to this part of our mission too.
“As we are witnessing a humanitarian tragedy escalating in Palestine on a daily basis, this is the least that we can do to support women in Palestine. I have realised that no one can remain silent, because once I started contacting the artists, I was deeply touched by their wholehearted acceptance. We at Intisar Foundation have always considered art as a powerful medium for overcoming barriers, fostering empathy, and initiating change- just as our drama therapy approach combines theatre and psychology, this exhibition combines art and philanthropy for the same goal – the betterment of humanity.”
Quote from Karima Anbar, CEO of the Intisar Foundation.
Location: Cap Kuwait, Kuwait
Dates: September 24, 2024