Meet Gaza's first female band

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A Palestinian band made up of 15 women is seeking to "revive Palestinian heritage."

"Mashael Alfan", or "Torches of Art", is part of a broader Mashael Alfan cultural organization, which includes almost 60 talented girls aged four to 25 who sing, draw, read poetry, and perform the traditional Palestinian dabke circle and line dance.

To honor Land Day, they wear traditional Palestinian embroidered thobe tunics and perform national and folk songs to warm applause from the audience and smiles of joy and support from their families.

The idea for the arts organization, according to Haidar Alaf, who founded the team in 2016, is "based on the girls' need to have a group in which they can highlight their many talents and utilize them to protect the Palestinian culture in light of the Israeli attempts to cancel the Palestinian identity and steal the traditional heritage.

"We try, in all our performances, to focus on features of our Palestinian culture by exclusively wearing traditional Palestinian clothes, singing folk and patriotic songs, drawing meaningful freedom symbols, and performing the Palestinian dabke dance," Alaf said.

One of the female singers, Sabreen Abu Samra, told The Media Line that she joined the band mainly to preserve and revive the Palestinian legacy. 

“Our heritage is the evidence of our existence and the basis of our history as Palestinians in general, and as women in particular. I advise girls who have talents to face their fears, work hard to develop themselves, and adhere to their Palestinian identity, because our land depends only on us,” she said.

Abu Samra adds that the band's success was largely due to full family support and the musical coach's guidance.

The youngest singer in the band is Shahed Alali, a 14-year-old. 

She expressed to Media Line that since joining the band, her "whole personality has changed for the good. Now I’m stronger, more confident on stage, and with better communication skills. I sing with all my heart for my land, my heritage, and my identity."

The band's members have participated in numerous events in Gaza and hope to overcome Israeli movement restrictions to reach international forums and share Palestinian traditional production with the rest of the world, according to Alaf, emphasizing the importance of music in supporting the Palestinian cause.

“Art and music are universal, understandable languages that don’t need translation. Thus, when Palestinian arts travel abroad, they carry our history, our struggle, and resilience, and reflect a beautiful image of the Palestinian who loves life and appreciates art and music,” Abu Hmaid stated.