03-01-2018
On 2 November 2017, Child Centre - Gaza (CCG) of the A. M. Qattan Foundation (AMQF) organised a literary encounter with Palestinian scholar and educator Munir Fasheh via Skype.
The encounter brought together members of the CCG Literature Club and pupils of the Jabalya Elementary School (A), who had participated in the CCG Development Programme.
An interactive conversation took place between Fasheh and the children, allowing an overview of Fasheh’s literary experience. A particular focus was placed on Fasheh’s book My Story with Words: Stories for Boys and Girls. This publication is believed to be Fasheh’s autobiography.
In his conversation with the children, Fasheh stressed the importance of reflection on, and expression of, experience through writing. He showed the difference between learning and teaching and talked about people’s immense capability of learning in Gaza. Fasheh described Gaza as the city whose population’s ability is an inspiration to cope with new situations and circumstances.
Afnan al-Nahhal, an 11-year-old pupil at the Jabalya Elementary School (A), presented a simulation of My Story with Words by telling her own story with “beauty”. The presentation was ensued by narratives and questions that reflected human beauty before it was distorted by the modern city, which is governed by the values of domination and triumph.
On his impression of the children who participated in the encounter, Fasheh said: “They reminded of Khalil Sakakini who, at the age of 18, clearly saw the essence of formal education, which had been brought by European and American communities at the end of the nineteenth century.”
“I feel so happy when I talk about it with every person I meet. Clarity, audacity, honesty and beauty, which were embodied in the children who spoke, inspired happiness and hope in me. It also reminded me of how I felt in the Shu’fat refugee camp when I worked with female teachers, mothers and students for two years, and when I worked with young men and women in the Al-Duheisha refugee camp.” Fasheh went on.
Holding a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University (1988), Fasheh has a long-standing experience in education in Palestine as well as in several Arab and foreign countries. He established the Tamer Institute for Community Education and the Arab Education Forum. He is author of many books, research papers, and publications.