Rimal Publications,Cyprus – förlag

What does it take to discover the truth? Betrayal? Deception? Risking one's own life? Omar Ouda did it all. Gaza Cursed House is a fictional story set against the political unrest in Palestine, following a young boy trying to find his father. The deeper he delves into his father's mysterious disappearance, the more he finds himself forced to make terrible choices, testing his loyalty to his country and his family. The book is also about friendship born out of difficult circumstances, presented here through the character of Ahmed who risks his life to help his friend in the quest to find his father.Omar's journey is fictional; however, it describes real life in Palestine's Gaza Strip between 1981 and 2011. This period witnessed three major events that have shaped the current situation - the first Intifada, the Oslo Accords and the second Intifada. While politics provide an important background to the story, the novel does not aim to put forth any political arguments. Instead, it sheds light on what it is like for two young boys to lead an ordinary life in an extraordinary place often described as 'hell on earth.'

It was just like any other day, being stuck in Beirut traffic with nothing to do but look around when I noticed the Arabic word Mahrooseh (protected) on the back of a large truck in front of me. As I was there for a while, I started noticing the detailed art and hand-drawn vernacular calligraphy, the evil eye, the cedars and many decorative patterns. That was when I was inspired to begin this journey of photographing and documenting as many trucks as I could all over Lebanon.Lebanon, a country that is small in size, yet large in its cultural diversity. From its rare and beautiful traditions are the sayings on most trucks, especially the ones for goods transportation that are common across the country. Wherever you are you will rarely find a truck without a proverb painted on it; be ita saying, a joke, part of a song, or a passing thought. They are beautifully decorated to elaborate the meaning. But most of them are used to ward off the evil eye.

The tale of Nawwara - in its Arabic universal poetic symbols - is simple yet magical. It is a dazzling tale interlaced with Arabic/oriental magic. “Nawwara” is a highly visual and fantastic narrative tale that unveils the magical adventures of a 13-year-old girl with a heroic role to play in a constantly disturbed area of the world.Like in all magical tales, Nawwara’s story is told through a narrator, an ancient Arab manuscript, secretly hidden for a thousand years and more in Nawwara’s house at the center of a desolate desert. `The Journey of Nawwara” recounts the story of a nation that has lost its golden compass although not it’s glow and is directed both to young adults and adults.Author and artist Mimosa Al Arawi wrote Nawwara’s tale as a poetically narrated art work where reality and imagination combine to intensely connect fantasy with authenticity and words with images.