By Nyibol Gatluak
Talented student Tina Saba is using art to express herself and raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in Palestine.
The 21 year old from Narre Warren is currently studying a Certificate IV in Visual Art at Chisholm Institute Berwick.
Her family has ancestral roots in the West Bank region of Palestine.
They migrated to Australia in the late 1990s.
“Although I was born and raised in Australia, I spent a lot of my life in Palestine with my family,” Ms Saba said.
A proud Palestinian, she is one of three siblings.
One of her siblings is still trapped in Palestine with her two young children amidst all the unfolding brutality.
“I fear for their safety every day, it is even difficult to talk to them on the phone due to the heavy surveillance of the Israeli government.”
Through art, Ms Saba is hoping to spread awareness, educate others and debunk what she says is propaganda being spread about the conflict.
Her latest artwork depicts a watermelon, which represents the Palestine flag.
“People think this is a new issue and it isn’t. I have witnessed first-hand the violence towards Palestinians unfold most of my life.”
This started when Ms Saba was a young child and witnessed American colonists who were
brought into the West Bank terrorising Palestinian families.
They allegedly displaced her family out of their home by planting landmines around their property.
Ms Saba is keen to tell her story and make a difference in her local community.
She recently won the Outstanding Achievement Award from Chisholm Institute last year, for her artwork dedicated to Palestine.
Ms Saba believes it is imperative for the Australian public to become better informed about the conflict.
She encourages people to research and become the cause for change.
*Nyibol Gatluak is a student journalist at Monash University
