Nonviolence Photo Project-10 Yrs Later

Ten years ago, I began a project to document the lives of everyday Palestinians nonviolently resisting Israeli occupation. Since 2003, I have photographed and gathered testimonies from Palestinian communities that have resisted the building of the Wall and the confiscation of their land and water resources. Nearly six years later, I have returned to the West Bank in this summer to bring this project full circle. This year marks the 10^th anniversary of this phase of popular struggle in Palestine. My goal is to document and share stories and images of everyday Palestinian nonviolent resistance with the aim of educating western audiences. In order to bring these stories to life and ensure that communities around the world are exposed to these moving images of steadfast, strategic nonviolence, I need your support.

Background:
From 2003-2005, I worked on the ground in the West Bank photographing military checkpoints, demonstrations, home demolitions, destroyed villages, and the daily lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. My photographs have been exhibited in the US, Israel and Europe and published in several websites and books. These photographs, which tell stories largely ignored by mainstream media, expose the reality of life in the West Bank by highlighting the Palestinian nonviolent resistance movement and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people who struggle daily to remain on their land. In 2007, I returned to the West Bank to gather testimonies from individuals in the photos. My aim was to share a back-story to the photo, as each image was deeper than the moment I was able to capture. Within these testimonies, the subjects of my photos were able to tell their own stories of resistance and struggle.

Vision:
During the summer of 2013, I will complete this decade-long project by returning to each village that resisted the Wall and settlement construction, from Jayyous to the South Hebron Hills. I will meet with the individuals whose images I captured in 2003-2007 to gather their updated stories and new images. The children in my original photographs have now grown up. While some have celebrated birthdays and marriages, others are now held in military detention in Israeli prisons. Throughout it all, they continue their resistance by living their daily lives. My goal is to publish these images and personal narratives in a book that brings the stories of the nonviolent struggle in Palestine to communities around the world.

Please support me in this effort.

Your contribution will support local translator fees, transportation throughout the West Bank, and room and board when traveling. A donation of $20-30 each will greatly help me reach my initial goal, but no amount is too small. For donations of $100 and more a photograph of your choice will be mailed to you.

Please consider sharing this call with your three friends or family members and asking them to make a contribution.

You can follow my work as I travel throughout the summer on my facebook page, twitter, or instagram.

Thanks so much!
Aisha Mershani