By: Amal Mohammed
Taiz – Hadeel Ali Nasr, a 22-year-old deaf and mute artist from Yemen, has been wowing her Facebook followers with her diverse and expressive paintings.
Her Facebook page has become a showcase for her diverse and creative paintings and drawings. Her work is characterized by its precision and her stunning artistic imagination.
determination
It is no easy feat for a deaf and mute girl to achieve this level of creativity in the art of drawing and painting, whether in the city of Taiz, where Hadeel lives, or even in Yemen as a whole. The government has shown little interest in educating and integrating people with disabilities into society, let alone developing their creative skills and hobbies. Hadeel’s father points out that the deaf and mute have not had access to educational facilities for over eight years due to the war, and that the institute for the deaf and mute in Taiz remains closed to this day.
Families of deaf and mute girls and boys no longer aspire for their children to have access to facilities and institutions that will help them achieve their full potential through creative arts education. Instead, as Nasr puts it, their goal is simply to provide their children with basic education and literacy skills, especially in light of the challenges created by the war in Yemen.
Hadeel Ali is an extraordinary deaf and mute artist. Against all odds, she has developed exceptional drawing skills. Despite the challenges of the war and her limited schooling, Hadeel has persevered.
Her father recounts that due to the conflict she was forced to move to her village in Sharaab Al Rawna district, north of Taiz, with her siblings. This isolation exacerbated her suffering, as she lost contact with her peers and the supportive environment that had helped her to thrive.
Spark of Creativity
Hadeel’s artistic journey began six years ago. In a written conversation with us on WhatsApp, Hadeel described her early efforts as simple imitations of other drawings. She used tracing paper to capture the curves and lines of faces and other shapes.
Hadeel developed her talent on her own. She took advantage of some available online tutorials, and applied many of the skills she acquired in the form of artistic works.According to her, she found in drawing a way to break through the isolation that surrounded her, especially after the war prevented her from meeting her classmates at the institute.
Hadeel honed her artistic skills through self-study, learning from online tutorials and applying her newfound skills in her own artwork. She quickly reached an advanced level, and began to explore more complex subject matter, such as social and human issues.
Her father’s unwavering support was a major factor in her success. He stood by her side as she faced the challenges of her public life and helped her overcome them.
