Aya did not just make a mosaic.
She made a story.
“Bahr Al-Hurriya” (بحر الحرية)
the Sea of Freedom.
Healing does not always come from talking or forgetting.
Ms. Rufaida, the art facilitator from Dar Al-Kalima University, confirmed that: the goal of implementing the mosaic workshop is to improve focus and attention to detail as a way to deal with the psychological effects and impacts of war.
Aya, a ninth-grade student is one of those students whose creativity speaks for her. Her teachers say she is thoughtful and deeply expressive and her work shows that.
A Mosaic Art Workshop
During the workshop students learned about art. They were asked to choose an idea for their project.
Aya remembers that moment clearly:
“At first I wanted to make something about Palestine. Then I thought… What is the beautiful place we all love? The beach came to my mind…. The Gaza lighthouse.”
The Power of Art
At GGM we believe that art is not something you do. It is a space where students can breathe, express themselves and be heard without needing to talk.
Ms. Rufaida added
The workshop created a space for emotional stability. Students showed patience and commitment. Giving them freedom to choose their ideas strengthened their sense of independence. Their artworks showed hope and inner balance.
The Lighthouse
The lighthouse meant something more to Aya.
“It is a feeling, ” she explains.
“The beach means freedom to me. The fresh air and the smell of the sea make me happy.”
That feeling inspired the name Bahr Al-Hurriya.
“I wish for Gaza to rebuild,” she says quietly. “I miss its nature and its beautiful buildings.”
A Symbol of Resilience
The Gaza lighthouse has its own story. Built by artists using stones and fragments from destroyed homes it turned loss into something powerful. It became a symbol of resilience. It showed that after destruction something meaningful can rise again.
Aya recreated that idea in her way.
Using pieces of paper she built her own lighthouse. She built it from memory and hope not from rubble.
She even added a boat to her artwork.
“I drew the boat because we are not allowed to enter the sea ” she says. “.I hope that one day I can.”
A Vision of Freedom
Through Bahr Al-Hurriya, Aya did not just make art.
She rebuilt a place she misses.
She expressed a feeling she carries.
She shared a powerful vision of freedom.
“This art does not represent me, ” Aya says. “It represents all of Gaza. Despite the rubble and destruction, around us I can still draw…. I can still build with colors. We all still have that hope.”