Today we are opening this exhibition with pictures from Palestine. This symbolises a small mustard seed of hope, especially here in Germany. In the meantime, more and more spaces for discussion on Palestine are being denied, a critical culture of debate on the subject has been lost for the most part. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a humane attitude towards Palestine in Germany. However, it is very important to keep reminding ourselves that Germany is much more than just official policy. Germany is also the many critical voices against war and militarisation that advocate compliance with international law and a permanent ceasefire. I would therefore like to thank Anette Klasing from the schwelle Foundation in Bremen in particular for her tireless efforts. Even when rooms were denied, she did not give up. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the Alte Fundamt, the exhibition venue, for opening up their rooms for this exhibition.
The pictures we see here today are from the Karimeh Abboud Photography Competition at Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem in 2022. Karimeh Abboud (1893-1940) was born in Bethlehem and was a Palestinian photographer. She was one of the first professional female photographers in the Arab world. Dar al-Kalima University has been presenting the Karimeh Abboud Award since 2016 to promote young photographers in Palestine.
The exhibition is entitled "Inhabited Spaces". In their pictures, young photographers from Palestine have captured spaces that are more than just physical places. Rather, they have captured spaces that represent a symbol of joy, light-heartedness and hope for them. Spaces in which they experienced security, community, love and protection. Each inhabited room captured in the picture tells a story of life, love and creativity. Despite the challenges of life under occupation, of being locked up, of the lack of basic human rights, the viewer is struck by a sense of normality, of longing for freedom and hope.
The pictures of the artists from Gaza tell of a time when life pulsated there, despite and in defiance of everything! Yes, there was a vibrant life in Gaza despite the years of occupation, the 16-year blockade and the wars. Today, almost two years after these pictures were taken, they and the title - "Inhabited Spaces" - are silent witnesses of people killed, places destroyed and suppressed stories of decades of injustice, suffering and displacement. And here there is a connection to the photographs of Karimeh Abboud, which she took of Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s. A decade later, her pictures also became silent witnesses to destroyed places and suppressed stories of injustice, suffering and expulsion. We commemorate the 76th year of the Nakba and today we hold on to the fact that death and destruction will not have the last word, that we are called live life to the full.
Three young men from the Gaza Strip achieved the first three places in the 2022 competition. Mohammed al Rifi won the first place with his pictures of the sea in Gaza: images that capture a carefree, almost childlike life on the beaches of Gaza. Second place went to Nidal al Wahidi for his pictures "The eyes of Gaza longing for peace and freedom": photos of sunsets in different places in Gaza. And third place went to Mutaz al Azaizeh for his photos "Inhabited spaces with our loved ones", in which he captures the coming together of family and friends.
We now know that Mohammed al Rifi (1st place) was one of those killed in the massacre during the flour distribution on 29 February when he was trying to get food for himself and his family. Nidal al Wahhidi (2nd place) has been missing since October, and Mutaz al Azaizeh (3rd place) has meanwhile managed to get out of Gaza, which is almost a miracle. Three people, three fates that are by no means individual stories, but rather reflect the fate of 2.2 million people in Gaza. Yes, today countless people have fallen victim to this war in Gaza; the majority are refugees, many are missing and a few manage to get out of Gaza with a lot of effort and a lot of money.
But even in the midst of war, death, starvation and loss, a small candle of hope burns today, because the names, stories and photos of these three artists are here today and will remain alive in the minds and souls of many. To say this sounds banal, almost pathetic. But I remember the words of a young man from Gaza who wrote the following message on social media in October:
"My name is Khalil; I am 27 years old. I studied English literature and I have many dreams, goals and ambitions. I can love, I can be joyful, I can work and strive for success. If I am killed, I do not want to end up as a mere number. Call my name, listen to my story and keep me in prayer. I am not a number, I am a whole universe!"
When Dar al-Kalima University began to get involved in the field of art and set up the various branches of education for this purpose, this was based on the conviction that art is more than just an expression of creativity. Art is also a form of survival, of dealing with trauma, of creative resistance; a resistance against repression and forgetting; a way of shaping the future.
The last few months have changed the people and their inhabited spaces in the Gaza Strip in a way that I cannot find words for today, because words are hollow and stale in the face of horror.
Instead, I would like to draw attention to those people who are constantly finding new ways to survive and achieve more humanity. Today I am thinking in particular of those young students at Dar al-Kalima University in Gaza who are working with displaced children in Rafah using the medium of art, theatre and music, even though they themselves have lost everything and are on the run. In the midst of destruction, tents and misery, these young people are creating new "inhabited spaces" in which they help children and young people to put their fears and traumas aside for a short while and express their longings so that their humanity remains alive. Through their work among the displaced, they connect people; they create new "Inhabited Spaces" where destruction and death reign; they make us feel the hope of empathy for those who have been abandoned by the world.
Dear guests,
In this - here and now - inhabited space of the exhibition, a faint breath of hope is blowing; not only for Palestine, but also for Germany. We may not be able to end war, death, hunger and injustice, but what we can do is not to lose sight of the people of Palestine, give them faces, names and stories, courageously and resolutely oppose their dehumanisation and demand and implement justice, empathy and solidarity. May we succeed.
Partner project in Israel and Palestine: Combatants for Peace
