Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Omar Abu Shawish (March 22, 1987 – October 7, 2023) is a Palestinian poet and writer , and was a prominent community activist in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip , and has made various contributions on the community, youth, cultural and intellectual levels.
His biography
Omar Fares Omar Abu Shawish was born in the Nuseirat camp on March 22, 1987. His family originated from the village of Burqa , which was occupied by Israel during Operation Barak in May 1948. He studied in the schools of the Nuseirat camp , and obtained a bachelor’s degree in media from Al-Azhar University in Gaza . His father , Fares Abu Shawish , is a well-known athlete who held several positions in the Palestinian Football Association . He had worked in the field of education for more than 40 years, and sources mention that he is considered “ a veteran athlete with wide popularity and popularity, and a man of goodness and reform within Palestinian society .”
Omar was a member of the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors , a member of the Board of Directors of the Nuseirat Services Club , and a member of the Popular Committee for Refugees. He was also present at most national and community events, meetings, and cultural and intellectual seminars held in the Gaza Strip . He is a member of many local community, cultural and youth associations and bodies, including the “Palestine Youth Cultural Network” which he helped found. He also presented many literary works during literary and poetry evenings in Palestine and abroad. He also wrote a number of national and humanitarian songs, which were widely circulated during the war on Gaza in 2008.
Omar participated in a number of events, including: the Book Fair in Turin (withdrew from the fair due to hosting the State of Israel as a guest of honor), the International Cultural and Sports Friendship Festival in Oslo , the Arab Youth Volunteering Conference in Algeria , the First Renaissance Leaders Conference in Nasr City , and the Fourth International Jerusalem Conference (2013) in Ramallah . He also participated in the Arab World Conference on Youth Issues in Thought and Culture in Cairo and presented a working paper entitled “The Role of Palestinian Youth in Supporting the Palestinian Cause Intellectually and Culturally,” and presented an initiative entitled “Palestinian Thought for Palestinian Rights – The Palestinian Intellectual Invasion of the Global Zionist Intellectual Invasion and Confronting It.” He was also part of the delegation of the Nusairat Services Club that participated in youth, sports, and cultural activities in Syria .
In 2016, he published a novel entitled “On the Edge of Death” by Beit Al-Yasmine Publishing and Distribution in Cairo . The novel deals with the events of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in 2008 , as he closely monitors life and narrates various situations, evidence and experiences from this war in precise detail. The novel was republished by Al-Manhal in 2018.
His death
He was martyred on October 7, 2023, during an airstrike carried out by the Israeli Air Force on the Gaza Strip , during the Israeli response to Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa . He was mourned by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors , with the latter publishing, “ We bid farewell to the martyred poet Abu Shawish. We offer our sincere condolences and sympathy to his family, loved ones, writers and authors, asking God Almighty to accept him with the martyrs and to place him in their high position and degrees in the spacious paradise. We ask God to inspire his family with patience, solace and great reward .”
Awards
Omar has received a number of awards and honors, including:
“Best National Song of the Year 2007” award at the International Festival of National Song and Heritage in Jordan .
“Pen of Poets International Award”, 2007, Paris .
“Distinguished Volunteer and Ideal Youth” Award, 2010, as part of the National Festival to Honor Palestinian Volunteers, initiated by Sharek Youth Forum in Palestine and sponsored by the Higher Council for Youth and Sports in Palestine.
The “Cultural Oscar Award “Arab Youth Ambassador” was awarded during the activities of the Arab World Conference on Youth Issues in Thought and Culture, implemented by the Egyptian Society for Culture and Dialogue in Cairo .
The “Distinguished Arab Youth Award in the Field of Media, Journalism and Culture for the Year 2013 (Electronic Media and Culture)” from the Arab Youth Council for Integrated Development affiliated with the League of Arab States . Sources indicate that he won this award “for his distinguished role in Palestinian society as a cultured Palestinian youth and youth activist, who left his mark on national, community, cultural, intellectual, literary and volunteer work, and was a living example of giving, progress, creativity and innovation .”
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Achievements and Awards
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