THE PALESTINIAN YOUTH MOVEMENT’S POLITICAL POSTER PROJECT
This set of posters is part of a larger resistance arts project, Nakba 75: Reclamation and Resistance, created by the Palestinian Youth Movement to mark 75 years of ongoing Nakba and 75 years of resistance.
More information about this project can be found at https://palestinianyouthmovement.com/nakba-75-posters
GENERATION AFTER GENERATION, UNTIL TOTAL LIBERATION
“Generation after generation, until total liberation” reflects the resurgent and reinvigorating role of Palestinian youth in Palestine and across the diaspora in reclaiming the struggle. The youth have been steadfast in leading the resistance, honoring the work and legacy of previous generations that have molded them into the freedom fighters they are today. Without their wisdom and guidance, the youth could not have resurged to lead and reclaim the struggle. The youth live their lives with a shadow to serve as a reminder of the unfinished work they left for us and prepared us for. Like a butterfly, Palestinian youth have blossomed from their cocoon and are now flying on the path to liberation. The youth today are not afraid to resist by any means necessary because the shadows of our ancestors allow Palestinian youth to reflect themselves onto the struggle. The reflection of Palestine is a reflection of Palestinians all across the world fighting to return home. Together, guided by previous generations, we will soon all reflect a free Palestine from the river to the sea.
RETURN IS OUR RIGHT, AND OUR DESTINY
The Return is our Right and our Destiny piece incorporates the traditional symbolism of the Palestinian key held by a Nakba survivor to symbolize the Palestinian exile’s will and conviction to return to her homeland after being forced out of it. Exercising the right of return can only be achieved through struggle – symbolized by the crowd of Palestinians and allies in the diaspora acting as a united front to push the elder and her daughter back towards Palestine. The daughter of the elder is seen wearing the traditional keffiyeh scarf and is the one guiding her mother forward to symbolize the duty of youth in helping their elders return. The poster stresses the duty and responsibility of Palestinians living outside of Palestine to engage in various forms of protest and resistance to realize the dream of every Palestinian: a glorious return.
THE COMPASS OF OUR STRUGGLE
Our political prisoners are the compass of our struggle. The following poster is a testimony to those who are currently imprisoned and those who served a lifetime behind bars or died shortly after release. From Palestine to Turtle Island, we honor those who have embodied صمود / sumud (steadfastness).
A contemporary symbol of this revolutionary spirit is found in the spoon. The spoon, engraved with طريق الحرية (The Path to Freedom) points to the hour of liberation on the compass. In 2021, Zakaria Zubeidi, Mahmoud Ardah, Mohammad Ardah, Yacoub Qadri, Ayham Kamamji and Munadel Nfeiat successfully escaped the high-security prison of Gilboa by digging an underground tunnel. Upon recapture, they underscored the aim of their jailbreak: the Palestinian struggle is more enduring than Zionism and our will for liberation is more permanent than lifetimes of imprisonment.
The poster highlights the names of the following 12 political prisoners in rays of light, destroying prison walls and eating away tyranny and empire. The slogan “Free Them All” borders this image in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Lakota.
We honor those who have lived and died behind prison walls and we demand the immediate release of those still subjected to incarceration as punishment for their courageous ideas, actions and leadership across many struggles.
Jamil Al Amin , John T. Vance, Russell Maroon Shoatz, Saadia Farajallah, Walid Daqqa, Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdelqader, Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier, Ahmad Manasra, Marilyn Buck
75 YEARS OF RESISTANCE, 75 YEARS OF GLORY
On Nakba day we honor and commemorate 75 years of glory and 75 years of resistance. This poster honors our martyrs, our resistance and future freedom fighters who fight to liberate our land every day. The procession moving towards the bottom left of the page holds up a martyr on a stretcher. The martyr is being lifted up and as we say in Palestine, our martyrs do not die, they rise. A shadow is cast from the stretcher onto the ground. The shadow is a shadow of a feda’i, or freedom fighter with a slingshot and rock ready to be launched in their left hand symbolizing that with every generation our steadfast resistance continues. The shadow is cast from the sun above the procession. In our struggle martyrs are our sun; they are our guiding light.
UNITY IN CONFRONTING ZIONISM
On the bottom of the poster, or on the ground, the masses are found rallying. Some of them at the front lines are seen dressed in Palestinian keffiyat or carrying Palestinian flags and signs. The choice of specific Palestinian national symbols in the crowd is meant to reflect the distinctly politicized character of the Palestinian struggle. The crowd bleeds into forming the central element of the photo: a large fist. Inspired by the Palestinian resistance factions latest slogan “Unity of all Fronts,” this fist is meant to represent the power of the people’s unity. The fist is seen grabbing the tongue of a snake whose head is coming from the upper right corner. The snake is depicted as coming from above to reflect its foreignness, in contrast with the Palestinian people being grounded on their land. This positioning of the snake vis-a-vis the Palestinian masses is meant to reflect the relationship to the land between Zionist settlers and native Palestinians. We chose to add the slogan Unity in Confronting Zionism on the poster in both English and Arabic as they are the languages most prevalent within the Palestinian diaspora. The slogan itself is meant to underscore how Zionism, both the ideology and its concomitant set of institutions, are the enemy within our struggle. The poster’s ultimate goal is to emphasize the centrality of the effectiveness of maintaining unity among all factions involved in the Palestinian struggle when confronting Zionist apologia and structures.
