Although cerebral palsy may have taken her arms, nothing can take Moza Abdullah Bin Zeban’s spirit, an Emirati artist. Using her feet, the 45-year-old determined woman with paralysed arms tells her story. Her story is one of creativity and talent, but it’s also the story of a spirit unfazed by the challenges life has thrown her way.
The Sharjah City of Humanitarian Services-affiliated Art for All Centre supports Moza (SCHS). She is maximising the potential of her body to allow her skill to flourish by holding brushes between her toes and using her feet in place of her hands. Moza does everything a person would do with their hands—showers, dressing, opening doors, etc.—with her feet. When Moza was nine years old, her love for art began to grow. She joined the Art for All Foundation Center, where she began painting while using her feet the same way she did for other daily activities.
Her condition has not stopped her from sharing her tale of hardship and triumph, and through her paintings, a woman with cerebral palsy has been able to immortalise her struggles, trials, and victories. As Khaleej Times reported, Moza has so far used her foot to make 60 beautiful drawings. She is determined, committed, and ambitious. She has been devoting 12 hours a day to her painting for the past three months in order to get ready for a solo exhibition.
Although it may seem like a big endeavor, Moza has put a lot of love and effort into it. One look at her face when is all it takes to comprehend the joy that painting brings her. The image of happiness and hope was a grinning Moza.
Speaking with the help of interpreter Akram Awad, she said that with her paintings she wants to convey a message to the world: “Disability, even if it is cerebral palsy, does not justify failure.” She claimed to have taken part in art shows in 30 different nations and had her paintings displayed at both national and international gatherings, where she had won prizes.
Moza aspires to achieve international fame as an artist to demonstrate that, when one has faith in God and oneself, there are no barriers to success. An article published by the Sharjah Government Media Office says that strong-willed Emirati women have accomplished a great deal on a local, regional, and global scale.
With the help of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, a member of the Supreme Council and the ruler of Sharjah, the emirate has given strong women their full rights and encouraged them to do remarkable things on the international stage. But in the end, it is the tenacious individuals who have demonstrated the courage to seize the possibilities that have been presented to them with both hands, or in the case of the gifted Moza, both feet.