Gaza, The Strong City: Through Ibrahim Faraj’s Lens.
Asmaa AbuLatifa
Photo credit: Ibrahim Faraj
“Photography is a way of touching, of feeling, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. It remembers little things. Long after you have forgotten everything”. -Aaron Siskind
Gaza, which translates to ‘The Strong City’, doesn’t only carry great historical and geographical importance. It is also inhabited by wonderful, strong people that are worth admiring. Despite the fact that most of Gaza is destroyed due to the Israeli conflict, some remaining places preserved their beauty. The people residing there have a strong desire to live and to be happy, which can be seen through Ibrahim Faraj’s lens.
Ibrahim Faraj, a photographer from Gaza, uses photography to capture the beauty of his city, the beautiful landscapes, and people’s faces that have the power to make the world appreciate what they have and remind them of the beauty found in simplicity.
Here are a few peeks of his talent:
“This home is comfortable but it doesn’t protect us from nightmares; These friends are nice, but they don’t give us the feeling of belonging; This nation is safe, but it doesn’t give us life”“A girl enjoying a summer day at the beach of Deir El Balah City in the Gaza Strip”“And love, my mother, is more beautiful in the countryside. One of us compassionately hugs while the other for a living gathers”“And as if he weaves a sea from net. This picture is of an old man waving fishing nets in the fisherman’s wharf in Gaza”
“In my Gaza, the letter of sadness stopped to ask: How are the men, if these be our youth?”“Its people, and all that is in it.”
These people live humble lives and are the proof that simplicity, health and unity are the key to happiness. These pictures show us that sometimes we need to make the best out of our situation and try our best to be happy. At the end of the day, all that matters is to be happy with what we have.
If you want to see more of Ibrahim, visit his Facebook page or his Flickr and support his talent!
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