Palestine Memories of 1948 Photographs of Jerusalem

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, 19 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 color photographs presented for a contemporary look, between shadow and light.

Chris Conti is an independent journalist based in the Middle East. Altair Alcântara is a French-Brazilian photographer. Isabelle Lavigne translated this edition from French to English.