Resistance through gaming and fun is the aim of two young women from the Middle East who launched a new card game last week which links the shared histories of Ireland and Palestine under colonisation.

The aim of the ‘Roots and Resistance’ game is to teach players about the history, heritage, and culture of two countries with a shared history of being colonised and occupied.

It took the two young women, Hiba Awaysa from Palestine and Maria Kesherian from Lebanon, just five months to develop the game after meeting up at a large national demonstration in solidarity with the people of Palestine in Dublin last year.

Both Hiba and Maria live in Galway, on Ireland’s west coast, and both of them found that they had a shared interest in history, education, and social justice issues. The card game, which can be purchased online, marries Maria’s love of gaming and card games with Hiba’s burning desire to tell the story of her people at a time of crisis in Palestine.

They have come up with a new company called Yalla Craic and a card game called ‘Roots and Resistance’ which they launched in front of a hugely enthusiastic audience at Aras nan Gael in Galway City last weekend. “Yalla!” in Arabic loosely translates as “Let’s go!”

READ: Ireland demands Israel halt attacks, measures directed at UN Palestine refugee agency

They have described the game, which can be played by two or more players, as an exploration of “two lands, one struggle, and a deck of defiance and hope”. The game came about when Hiba noticed that many people had misconceptions about each other’s backgrounds when she first moved to Ireland to take up a scholarship at the University of Galway.

Maria and Hiba developed the game over just five months, through weekly meetings at their respective homes in Galway City. They gave each other weekly tasks as they set about transforming Hiba’s dream – a game which could teach people about the history and culture of both Palestine and Ireland – into a game which people could play in their leisure time.

Both have been inspired by Ireland’s long struggle against colonisation since they both moved to Galway to study. While they both have busy lives – Maria works........

© Middle East Monitor