PALESTINE Memories of 1948 - Photographs of Jerusalem | Page 260

Seventy-one years ago, in 1948, the Nakba – the ‘catastrophe’ – overturned life in
Palestine, forcing three-quarters of Palestinians into exile, depriving them of their
land, their homes, their belongings. Today, those who can bear witness to that
period are becoming rare. From different social backgrounds, nineteen men and
women remember the coexistence that prevailed in Palestine, the war, the exile,
as well as the strength and resilience which they had to muster to adapt to new
realities. Life stories expressed in the first person are accompanied by black and
white portraits where each look questions the coming generations.
For every Palestinian, Jerusalem is charged with symbolic meaning, of identity
and of remembrance, the more so because it has become inaccessible to most.
The city is made the focus of a compilation of colour photographs presented for a
contemporary look, between shadow and light.