IF, I WOULD
Rasha Saffarini
A house in Tulkarem, Palestine
Rasha Saffarini
A house in Tulkarem, Palestine
Read If, I Would on Issuu
‘Home, located in Tulkarem, was previously inhabited by the Mukhtar (Mayor) of Tulkarem and his family. colonial invasions of Britain and Zionists led to the family’s exile. Several years ago, the house was purchased by a Palestinian, despite his inability to visit it, let alone return.
This piece is a diary of essays, poems, and images that describe the house as home upon return, inspired by the past owners’ recollections, and situated within a Palestinian’s way of life that is passed through generations yet unacquainted in displacement. Intimate thoughts merge inherited colloquial, religious, political, and ecological mediterranean values, morphing them into fragmented visions that use faith as the true companion. Yet, the diary fluctuates between the past, present, and future, inevitably disrupted by sorrow, anger, and sarcasm in response to living under occupation in exile.
The book begins from the right side in a desperate attempt to de-colonize. It is divided into the four conditions of home- was, would have, is, and would. Two conditions present a glimpse of the bitter reality the house suffered. The other two describe home in its pure form that could only be achieved through the unreal conditionals of a post-Zionist world, illustrating the culture displaced Palestinians acquired to cling to the right of ownership, from afar. The walls, rooms, and gardens evidently reflect the relationships the native, his land, and the invader. However, the diary attempts to disguise thoughts that are ought to be censored yet urged to be normalized. Hence, the book is a book, for it is meant to collect the dust in our bookshelves, the illiterate literate people.’
Rasha Saffarini
‘Home, located in Tulkarem, was previously inhabited by the Mukhtar (Mayor) of Tulkarem and his family. colonial invasions of Britain and Zionists led to the family’s exile. Several years ago, the house was purchased by a Palestinian, despite his inability to visit it, let alone return.
This piece is a diary of essays, poems, and images that describe the house as home upon return, inspired by the past owners’ recollections, and situated within a Palestinian’s way of life that is passed through generations yet unacquainted in displacement. Intimate thoughts merge inherited colloquial, religious, political, and ecological mediterranean values, morphing them into fragmented visions that use faith as the true companion. Yet, the diary fluctuates between the past, present, and future, inevitably disrupted by sorrow, anger, and sarcasm in response to living under occupation in exile.
The book begins from the right side in a desperate attempt to de-colonize. It is divided into the four conditions of home- was, would have, is, and would. Two conditions present a glimpse of the bitter reality the house suffered. The other two describe home in its pure form that could only be achieved through the unreal conditionals of a post-Zionist world, illustrating the culture displaced Palestinians acquired to cling to the right of ownership, from afar. The walls, rooms, and gardens evidently reflect the relationships the native, his land, and the invader. However, the diary attempts to disguise thoughts that are ought to be censored yet urged to be normalized. Hence, the book is a book, for it is meant to collect the dust in our bookshelves, the illiterate literate people.’
Rasha Saffarini