Moon Tell Me Truth

Moon Tell Me Truth is a unique exhibition featuring illustrated poems made by children from Gaza, Palestine and beyond. These artworks were created by young people  aged nine to fifteen in response to two paintings by Palestinian artists as part of a competition run by educational charity the Hands Up Project.

Moon Tell Me Truth, first published last summer,  contained sixty poems and with a foreword by award-winning poet Alice Oswald. Now an exhibition, this collection of the original works, has been touring venues across England, Ireland and now Scotland.

Sadly, most students showcased in the exhibition are now displaced. Their schools have been damaged or destroyed as they continue to struggle for survival amidst the ongoing assault on Gaza.
Tragically two of the young artists, Obada Mohammad Abu Oda, 14, and Fatema Saidam, 9, are known to be among those killed by Israeli airstrikes in October 2023. Both their poems have been translated and performed throughout the world.  

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Alongside the illustrations and the poems, visitors will be able to see the two original artworks which inspired the poems in the exhibition – The Waiting by Malak Mattar and Purple Beam by Layla Mohammad Ibraheem Al Haj Abed.
They can experience the profound beauty of the original book, "Moon, Tell Me Truth" published by the Hands Up Project. 

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“We hope this exhibition will help amplify the voices of our friends in Gaza, English teachers and students whose faces we would normally see on Zoom everyday of the week in storytelling and drama sessions.The messages we are receiving from them daily are asking us to do one thing - tell the world their stories before it’s too late.All of us at the Hands Up Project are deeply honoured and proud that their unique voices may be shared in the wider world.”

Nick Bilbrough - Hands Up Project​​​​