For Palestinians, the catastrophic destruction of the Palestinian homeland, known as the Nakba, is not simply about mourning what has been lost, and the tragedy that has befallen the Palestinian people ever since.
It is also a celebration of life, of culture, of the past and the present, and a strong message of a rooted nation with a strong sense of peoplehood to a young generation that has grown up stateless or in exile.
This Palestinian community in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis has done just that. The elders of the community led an event that exhibited the young talents of the area, their artwork, poetry and embroidery.
And since food plays an essential role in sustaining Palestinian culture and making it accessible to everyone, freshly made Palestinian bread, known as shrak, was shared among the community, along with freshly brewed coffee, done according to Palestinian Bedouin traditions.
Though May 15, 1948, serves as the marker of the Palestinian Nakba for the last 75 years, the tragedy has been internalized, in fact, owned, by several generations of Palestinians to serve more than just a sad memory of loss, death, and exile.
The Nakba is now the foundation for a new beginning, one of redemption, resistance, unity, and hope.
(Text by Ramzy Baroud. All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
