Hanan Awad

Despite having been raised in Palestine, I still consider myself an exile. Whenever I return to my village, I am only returning as a visitor. I lack the right to return to the birthplace of my father. Regardless, there is a connection I have to Palestine and her culture that can never be severed. 

My grandmother would tell me stories about the olive harvest. It was more than a harvest, but a time where the entire village would celebrate festivities. The season of the olive harvest just so happens to be when most of the Palestinian weddings take place. 

I was able to capture more of the Palestinian identity through photography. I was constantly inspired by the intimate stories and steadfastness of the Palestinians I met during my travels. The women especially were extremely passionate as they opened their hearts to me to share their stories of surviving a life between occupation and tradition. With every story I hear, I  take a picture to capture that moment of the people who experienced them. 

I became aware of the richness and diversity of my people’s culture, and how these stories and memories are passed down from generation to generation. I consider the lens of my camera to be a bridge that connects the stories of the past to the realities of the present. My goal as a Palestinian photographer is to preserve and record the story of my sisters, documenting the story of Palestinian resistance.