Living in Palestine
Raed Bawayah
Raed Bawayah, now 36, had only just left his teenage years behind, but had already reached the level of achievement associated with the truly great. Bawayah was born in the village of Qutanna, a short distance from Ramallah, and chose the village itself as a subject to investigate, viewing it as both a political and social manifesto. He has shown the situation of children there, physically enclosed, not daring to go beyond the yard of the family home, the same yard that is sometimes shared with a goat or white rabbit, and where the mother can keep a protective eye on them. Sometimes, for just a few moments, they venture further afield, choosing olive or cypress trees as their playground, but all within a limited area, a far too limited area.
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He explored the same issue in his report on Palestinian workers whose harsh life, trapped not only by armed conflict but also by the economic situation, has forced them to go to Israel as paid labor. During their time off and moments of so-called privacy, they are bundled together in tiny areas and in conditions quite inhumane.
Then there is the most moving body of work (reminiscent of Depardon and San Clemente) quite simply called “the hospital”, a report on inmates in a mental hospital that evokes an almost metaphysical response.
Nothing is wrong with the material side of this enclosed universe, but there is a clear perception of loneliness, of mental affliction, as seen in the emotional confinement of these people who appear as prisoners in their own land.
Raed Bawayah depicts their daily life with great delicacy and reserve, a daily existence that is part of his life and, even though his view of it is critical, he still values it.
Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
