Mohammed adored writing, so it lit up his dark life

Ramallah / Salem Al Rayes – Effective Writers

Although he felt persecuted and marginalized throughout life because of his visual disability, Mohammed did not lose the hope of a brighter future. He has always had a smile on his face. One day he was surprised by an advertisement on a website stating that poets and writers with disabilities in the West Bank ,the Gaza Strip, and Tunisia are will be given a chance and will be supported to improve their writing skills. He did not believe that there are people who care for them and try to develop and improve the talents of people with disabilities.

“Muhammad Basim Faqha” from the city of Jenin, prepared his application and sent it hoping to be part of a group of 30 participants  with disabilities for the project “”influential Writers”, implemented by Social Development Forum and funded by the European Union ( South Med program). Mohammed  has already been communicated with him and is one of the applicants who benefited from the project.

He had received his training at the beginning of June 2016, aiming at gaining a valuable knowledge in literary and nonfiction writing, in addition to understanding and communicating with colleagues “with disabilities” in the training, as well as with the poets and writers who are hosted by the project in order to take advantage of their expertise. “After the first phase , meeting with and communicating with the guests , we moved to the second phase; writing our own thoughts , improving , revising , and publishing them with the help of qualified trainers.”

Mohammed believes that the “influential Writers” project has elevated and developed the talents of persons with disabilities, regardless of the type of their disability whether physical, visual ,or audio . He says that the “influential writers” targets an important segment of society that does exist and has its own entity but kind of  oppressed , marginalized ,and neglected.

Those in charge of the project have sought persons with disabilities who are talented in creative writing whether short stories, songs, poetry, free verse and other literary genres, and have trained them on the hands of qualified trainers.

Faqha feels that he has experienced something special he’d never thought he would experience in his entire life due to his disability and the oppression he suffers from. “This journey has grabbed his hands and brought light to his dark life , it gave me a sense of confidence and safety”, he says . He points out that the project is one of its kind in Palestine and that it has helped him successfully pass the first step towards a life of writing and literature.

Mohammed’s joining the “Influential Writers” group has positively influenced both his life and mentality. It helped him set a goal for his life , writing. He says” When the training is over and our writings are published , I aim at  keeping on writing , seeking intellectual abundance and nutrition through references and reading, reinforcing my participation in the creative field through the ministry of culture and various organizations, looking for and developing novel ideas, and writing about my experience as a person with disability.”