A group of Majority World photographers, art and cultural workers and allies are coming together to organise this fundraiser to contribute to The Owneh Initiative’s SOLIDARITY FUND.
What is The Owneh Initiative?
The Owneh Initiative is a newly formed coalition of 30 Palestinian arts, culture and civil society organisations. In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, the subsequent accelerated Israeli genocide on Gaza, and a new wave of unjust and politically weaponised conditions imposed by donors, Owneh seeks to break away from the colonial funding system and gain independence of Palestinian civil society organisations from outside interference.
Owneh has several initiatives underway. AID WATCH, launching soon, is a Palestinian platform for exposing discriminatory and politicised donor interventions that undermine the Palestinian liberation cause. Owneh’s SOLIDARITY FUND mobilises financial resources to support Palestinian organisations in their rejection of complicit and undermining funding, and the RESOURCES BASKET facilitates the sharing of available non-financial community resources.
What will The Owneh Initiative do with the funds?
The Owneh Initiative is urgently raising funds for two main purposes at the moment:
+ Palestinian arts and culture organisations, ensuring their continued operations according to real on-the-ground needs without having to compromise their values and vision to comply with Western donors’ short-sightedness and politically motivated, often arbitrary, metrics.
+ Psychosocial support workshops organised by Palestinian civil society
organisations, using arts as a means of strengthening and healing Palestinian children and adults who undergo trauma caused by the occupation on a daily basis. These workshops address immediate psychological needs as well as long-term healing and empowerment by helping participants reclaim and reconnect with their culture and identity which are facing constant threats of erasure.
Who is organising this fundraiser?
This fundraiser print sale is organised by a group of Majority World photographers, art and cultural workers and allies, and contributes to the on-going Palestinian Arts and Culture Solidarity Collective’s (PACSOC) fundraiser for The Owneh Initiative.
The organising partners of this fundraiser are photo.circle / PhotoKTM (Nepal), Pathshala South Asian Media Institute (Bangladesh), Offset Projects (India), Angkor Photo Festival (Cambodia), Gulf Photo Plus (Dubai), 32° East (Uganda), No NIIN Magazine (Finland), VII Photo (France), Editions JOJO (India), aka TAWLA (SWANA), DoubleDummy (France), RUDA Colectiva (Latin America), Market Photo Workshop (South Africa), KWY Editions (Peru), Invisible Photographer Asia (Singapore), Tasveer Photo (Pakistan), Veejay Villafranca (Philippines), Tanvi Mishra (India), West Space (Australia), _subkontinent.
For all queries, feel free to drop us a line at hello@southsouthsolidarity.art
What is the timeline for this initiative?
You can buy a print until 15 December 2024. After that we will fulfill all your orders: printing, packing, shipping. We expect all shipment to be out the door in the first half of January 2025. You can expect your print to arrive before the end of January 2025!
How to save on shipping costs?
If you (with friends/family/colleagues) buy a minimum of 5 prints, we’re happy to organise a free shipping to a local Organising Partner near you. Send us an email on hello@southsouthsolidarity.art and we’ll be happy to take this forward.
I don’t have a credit card, nor PayPal, nor a bank account – how to buy a print?
No worries, send us an email on hello@southsouthsolidarity.art and we’ll give you other options: depending on where you are based, we’ll put you in touch with our local partners to handle payment.
I can’t buy a print at the moment but I really want to support The Owneh Initiative – what can I do?
Help us amplify this print sale and the support for Palestine! Share on your socials, send personalised emails to your contacts, talk to people around you. An essential part of all initiatives supporting Palestine is to raise awareness and this print sale can be a starting point.