Our new blog shares stories and analysis from Gaza: Gaza, or the Gaza Strip, are names of a place that appears on the headlines every once and a while. Like most parts of the world where turmoil is routine, the media tends to treat Gaza as one political, social, and cultural unit. But Gaza, home (and refugee camp) to two million Palestinians, is far more politically and culturally rich than it would be portrayed in the media.
Every Palestinian in Gaza has a story. Their stories can be both personal and universal—personal in the sense that they tell the account of a unique experience of a person, but universal in the sense that, we, who live outside Gaza, can relate to these stories too.
Recognizing the limits of media coverage and reporting, Gaza Unlocked seeks to shed light on the silenced, the marginalized, and the rendered-invisible stories. Gaza Unlocked serves as the reminder when all other reminders lose their seasonal interest in Gaza. Gaza Unlocked gives a platform to voices from Gaza to be heard as they continue their quest for life. Gaza Unlocked adds to the discourse on Gaza, and hopefully helps reshape it.
For long, Palestinians in Gaza suffered from demonization and dehumanization, or fell victims of a narrow humanitarianism that disregarded politics. The blockade on Gaza not only aims at isolating Gaza from the rest of the world, but also isolating the world from Gaza. During the years of Gaza’s occupation and siege, the place and its people never ceased to try to reach out to the world to share its story and narrative. Gaza Unlocked is an attempt to reach out to Gaza from the outside, to unlock not only the physical fences separating Gaza from the world and the world from Gaza, but also the barriers to hearing the voices in their own voices. Gaza Unlocked is yet another humble attempt to challenge the collective punishment and isolation of Palestinians in Gaza.
The new blog launched today at Gaza Unlocked is about the Palestinian experience in Gaza. The blog will share stories and written pieces by Palestinians from Gaza, in which they will talk about the struggles for a better world for them and us. The blog will provide analysis on the situation in Gaza, with political depth, historical knowledge, and an emphasis on the agency of those struggling against the blockade and constant aggression. The blog will share art, photography, and music that also tell the story of Palestinian life in Gaza. Finally, the blog will feature actions taken by activists around the world to connect to and bring the experience of Palestinians living in Gaza to a broader audience, including those who can act to change the policies that keep Palestinians living under blockade and military occupation.
