There is a mass genocide going on in Palestine. Innocent people are dying in vast numbers—the death toll in Gaza has risen to 39,145 since Oct. 7 2023, the Ministry of Health said today– and there seems to be no end in sight. In the last nine months, hundreds of artists have convened in support of raising awareness and advocating for peace, highlighting the human suffering, and calling for international intervention. Collective efforts strive to bring attention to the urgent need for a resolution and to amplify the voices of those affected by the ongoing conflict, while raising funds for humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and essential resources for the displaced and injured. The latest initiative to support the Palestinian cause is Arts for Impact, a charitable auction which is on a mission to raise the essential funds to support urgent medical care in Palestine through the non-profit Doctors Without Borders.
Organized by Caroline Issa, Moon Hussain, Lea Ogunlami, and Rahemur Rahman, the charity auction will kick off today—coinciding with Palestinian Traditional Dress Day— at 10 P.M. GST and run until Aug. 15. The auction will feature over 100 rare and personal items, generously donated by renowned figures in the realms of fashion, music, architecture, literature, and art.
Up for grabs are English musician Mica Levi’s guitar pedal, a one-off sketch by architect Sumayya Vally, and two exclusive gowns by designer Duro Olowu. Other fashion designers participating in the charitable auction include Simone Rocha, Paria Farzaneh, and Wales Bonner, among others. You can also bid on hour-long personal masterclasses from writer Fatima Bhutto, artist Lubna Chowdhary, and stylist Azza Yousif. Jeremy Corbyn, Brigitte Lacombe, Kingsley Ifill, Sylvie Macmillan, Nabihah Iqbal, and George Riley are also offering unique items like personal clothing, signed artworks and prints, and even exclusive one-of-a-kind experiences in the Arts for Impact silent charity auction. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go directly to Doctors Without Borders, which has teams on ground working to treat the wounded and supply overwhelmed hospitals as indiscriminate airstrikes and a state of siege threaten millions of men, women, and children in Gaza.
