Gallery Al-Quds Presents
“Palestine Diary”
by Najib Joe Hakim
©Najib Joe Hakim
Najib Joe Hakim shares images he took while living in Jerusalem in 1978-79 and the summer of 1981.
The timeless photographs are annotated with anecdotes from his journals of the time.
Below is a response to the show:
“The journal is wonderful – and precious… Aside from the information provided by these treasured glimpses into your journal (meeting Abba Eban; the professor who became angry for letting you (back) into the country; the prospective roommate who bolted at meeting a Palestinian in his assigned room, etc.) there’s the element of youth–a young man who actually kept a journal and who has the particularized sensitivities that are a must for morally-engaging journals.
“The photos, black-and-white, are stunning. To get to a point: It’s forty years now; another forty years and they’d be one hundred times more precious. In other words, you’ve captured something that shall (not may) prove as attractive as the old photos of old Palestine and old Beirut. And more attractive when a Palestinian state (or a bi-national state) is officially established – – a matter of time. The question then would be how to preserve these photos and keep them public.”
