It's week #23 with Portraits of Justice, and I introduce you to Bayan, from {Beit Sahour, Palestine. I met Bayan a year ago in Bogota, Colombia, where she successfully and passionately advocated for global support from the WSCF for justice in Palestine. Just last week stayed with her and her family in Palestine.
Bayan asked to have her photos taken in front of the Western Wall, the separation barrier constructed between the Palestine territories and the state of Israel. This wall is seen by many as a global symbol of oppression and injustice. As it is one of her major obstacles in the pursuit of justice in her context, I count Bayan's portrait among the most powerful in this collection.
"How does justice look like in my country? Actually we don't have justice in my country, because we are under occupation. We are working to have our rights. Justice for us is to have our rights to move, to study, to have a good job, to have a good salary, to live like other people in other cities; all of this we do not have." Bayan asked to have her photos taken in front of the Western Wall, the separation barrier constructed between the Palestine territories and the state of Israel. This wall is seen by many as a global symbol of oppression and injustice. As it is one of her major obstacles in the pursuit of justice in her context, I count Bayan's portrait among the most powerful in this collection.
"Another important this is safety: safety we do not have. We sometimes think about what we will do, for the same day, we do not think about tomorrow or the next year, because of the occupation. Maybe they will come and arrest us because we are saying something I know many children that are under age, they are arrested because they just threw a stone. "
"I think that God put me in Palestine
because I have a message, and to spread it all over the world. What I
did today [successfully advocating justice for Palestine with WSCF],
it was just an amazing thing for myself. I texted my best friend and
told her, finally, finally I have done something for my country.
Finally. It was – sorry! (starts crying).
---
"We live and breathe in three religions.
I think we can live in that. In Palestine, we don't have with Muslims
the same fight as the Middle East, as we have the same issues. We are
working together. I feel the Muslims are my sisters and my brothers.
Also I have to mention there are Jewish who support us in my country,
and they do not announce the Israel state. For me this is beauty."
"I have many hopes, personally. To have
a family, to have kids. But also I am afraid. I am really afraid. If
I want to get married and to have kids, I don't want for my kids to
live in my situation. I don't want that. Even if I have been in a
perfect school, a perfect university, I studied theology in Bethlehem
University, and as a tour guide, my situation is good, my parents
are the perfect persons. If I asked for something, they give it to
me. I am not afraid from these things. I am afraid of my kid tomorrow
will ask me 'why, why are we living here? Why do we not immigrate?'.
I don't want to put myself in this situation, because it is really
hard. All the time when I was a kid and I was looking at the TV
saying, 'oh! I wish I could, for example, I could skydive. I wish we
had in Palestine a Disney Land. I wish I can play everywhere'. All
the time, “I wish I wish I wish” And I grew up without out this. We don't
have the right to movement."
"I don't know if its justice, but we have
government, we have rules, we work on it. Justice for us is to get
our freedom, that is justice. To be equal, to get our human rights.
As I said, we don't have our human rights. We live like the dogs, the
dogs live better than us!"
---
"It was my dream to talk
and share with people what we are living, what we are suffering, all
these things I have said. Its not about movement! It's about how we
don't have an airport. We have only one way to go outside Palestine,
which is through Jordan (And in Gaza, through Egypt). Also, the Israeli
controls our water, they control everything! OK, let Israel control
this water – but why do they not give us our right on water? I know
families in Beit Sahour who suffer in this. They don't have water for
14 days and more and more. Sometimes we don't have water in our
houses for one month and more! We want to have showers, we want to
cook, we want to clean! We are trying now to stop drinking water from
the tap, and we are buying water. Maybe then we will reduce the water
we use, and we can use it to clean or bathe. When I was in Lebanon,
they asked me to wash some tomatoes. I was opening the water so
slowly, because I don't want to waste water. They just opened it
fully and said, we have water!"
"Even though we lived with all these
things, I have to say that we still keep hope alive."
