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Mirene Ghossein Book Review
Photography by the
children of the Lagee Center, with Rich Wiles
The Lajee (Arabic for Refugee) Center is a children’s centre in the Aida Refugee Camp, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Needless to say, the children of Lajee have no open space to speak of, no recreational facilities, and hence feel confined within the camp. In his introduction to Our Eyes, Rich Wiles, a British photographic artist who has been working with the children for the past three years, asks a most pertinent question : "When all paths seem to be blocked by walls and barriers should we stop trying to pass them"? The book provides an eloquent answer , both a proof and a sign of hope. Indeed nothing will stop the human spirit when it chooses to fight for a life worthy of its hope and vision. Photography, here, becomes a tool within that fight, a tool of liberation, at one level at least. The book comprises 3 different Photography Shows by children of Lagee. The first, "A Window to our World" (August 2006), the work of 12 participants (11 to 18) introduces us to life in the camp. We see narrow alleys , walls covered with graffiti, children smiling and frowning, some flashing victory signs. We see minarets, a wall, barbed wires and faces of old people. One face, a photo by Kholoud Ajarma, I especially remember because, as the Arabic saying goes, "it comes from far". Kind, wise, and yet welcoming in spite of the obvious sadness that permeates its features. Of this "old woman" Kholoud has written : "... it is a photograph of our history, because those old people who left their villages in 1948 are the witnesses to what happened then, how they became refugees...". "Refugee" is a state of mind the children experience as well : "...if you are a refugee you don't have an identity and you look like somebody that is lost", writes Linda Al-Azzeh. Linda may well feel "lost" but the viewer /the reader is drawn into a history where he/she discovers a missing yet essential part of the Palestinian narrative. The word Palestine has been part of our own political landscape for many decades but the photos of the Lagee children bring a human dimension that touches and informs us as it complements a reductionist and often biased politcal discourse. "A Child's Right in Palestine" (May 2007), is a project which aims at giving children an understanding of human rights in general, and children's rights in particular. This is more about photography engagée than about photography as documentary. "The Right to a Name and Nationality" represents a boy holding a Palestinian flag. "The Right to Preservation of Identity" is told through an ID card that reads : "First name, Refugee, Father, Prisoner, Mother, Murdered, Date of birth : 1948. Address Ayda Camp. And out of nowhere and responding to no question : "UN resolution 194", which is about the Right of Return. "The right to Non-Separation from Parents" shows the very sad face of Ahmad Mohammad Ali Mosleh, a "hero" and a "martyr" "who embraced the earth of the town of Bethlehem, one Sunday evening, on April 22, 2006". And "The right to Protection from Child Labour" is illustrated by a non-protected child working at a street stand. Two hours after this Show opened in Aida Camp, the Israeli army shot a child of thirteen years in the head with a coated rubber bullet, less than 300 yards away from the gallery where the children were showing their photos about Children's Rights. Participants in this project were all fourteen years old. The third Photography Show, "Our Dreams and Nightmares" (August-October 2007) is a project of Lagee's "new generation". The ten children (ages 15-20) who participated in this Show have all experienced different forms of violence. The recurrent dream is one of freedom and hope, one of possibilities to play a constructive role in Palestinian society. Basil Sarhan dreams of becoming a farmer to "make Palestine green again", and this is illustrated by a man working the land. Shorouk Malla dreams of "breaking down the siege and checkpoints" so as to be free to "move from one country to another"; she chooses a wall covered with graffiti to make her point. The most poignant nightmares are of "Israeli soldiers" killing "somebody I love or one of my friends", writes Basil Sarhan, who has photographed the portrait of a teenager hanging on what seems to be an iron fence. Layan Al-Azza's nitghtmares "are full of blood ...Last year my brother was shot whilst playing in my bedroom". Two impressive photos are the work of Kholoud Ajarma, who assisted Rich Wiles in all 3 projects. One is her "dream to live in a world full of innocence and hope", a dream which takes the form of a child's smiling face, twinkling eyes lit by 4 candles, a beautiful rendition within the chiaroscuro concept. And on the opposite page are her nightmares, in which she sees a" lonely and old face" , afraid it will become hers. The face is that of a tree trunk , nothing but deep creases, bruises, and cuts. The reproductions of the photos are mediocre.* But taking a second look at my favorite photos and recognizing this aspect, I thought of the many musicians I had heard who, in spite of a dazzling technique, were unable to move me, maybe because my attention, highjacked by the technique, had no time to revel in the melody, in the process of music making. These photographs are primarily about a human experience, speaking to ours, bypassing the technique that enhances and sometimes distorts reality. No need for that in these photos, they have enough poignancy to sail through technique and come out with victory signs. They communicate to us, first and foremost, the resilience as well as the invincibility of the human spirit. -- Mirene Ghossein [* editor's note: Rich Wiles informs me that the book has now been reprinted with better quality images] Our Eyes can be obtained by contacting info@lajee.org or richimages02@hotmail.com |
