Ode to Vrouwen van de revolutie | Those who are not scared

Those who are not scared, 2024. This textile artwork honors the women who protested against the Lebanese government on Amsterdam’s Dam Square in 2020. 

The demonstration occurred 100 days after Lebanon’s 17 October Revolution began in 2019. Protesters demanded fundamental changes to the economic and political system, challenging corruption and gender-based harassment.

At the time, women in Iraq and Chile were staging similar protests. Mounira Al Solh (1978) created a series of stitched works after participating in the Lebanese Revolution. The protests in Lebanon were met with repression, and many demonstrators were shot, prosecuted, or subject to violent arrests. 

During her time in Amsterdam, Al Solh observed a powerful sense of solidarity among protesters from the Netherlands, Lebanon, Iraq, and Chile. The artwork incorporates protest slogans in Arabic, including “From Holland to Lebanon” and “Those who are scared, can’t create freedom.” It particularly highlights the role of women, who stood at the forefront of the revolution.