passport of witness
an ANTHOLOGY of palestinian voices
Sometimes a homeland becomes a tale. We love the story because it is about our homeland, and we love our homeland even more because of the story.
—Dr. Refaat Alareer (1979-2023)
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"Passport of Witness" is a tribute to the enduring spirit of Palestine and its people. Despite exile and diaspora, the bond between the land and its people remains unbreakable. This limited-edition anthology, meticulously hand-crafted with immense love, stands as a precious collector's item, a testament to the idea of Homeland. Designed to resemble a passport, it both mirrors and subverts the traditional concept, offering a portal to a homeland that thrives in memory, blood, and dreams.
Featuring the vital voices of Palestinians living in the diaspora, this small but mighty passport carries seeds of connection to the Palestine of past, present, and future. A Living Document of Identity and Survival Dreamt, curated, edited, and assembled over seven months, this collection transcends its modest size. Through poetry, testimony, and family history, each page unfolds narratives of identity and survival. As you hold this small passport in your hands, know that you are holding more than a book; you are holding a living document — a prayer of hope, a cry for freedom, and a song that cannot be stamped out. The Longing for Homeland Upon opening the front cover, you will find a photocopy of the pre-1948 Palestinian passport of the grandfather of Palestinian-American artist and writer Ren Allathkani. This personal artifact is inscribed with a poem about the estrangement of belonging to a homeland that cannot be returned to. Inside the back cover, Allathkani’s tatreez-poem responds to this estrangement, inviting us to imagine a return to homeland: Meet me at the port in Jaffa... Printed as backgrounds on the interior pages are photographs by Jordanian-Palestinian artist Baha Suleimon. Unable to step foot on his homeland, Suleimon captured these images of Palestine from a distance, across borders of water and land. Resistance and Solidarity This project emerged from a shared vision of creativity as an act of resistance against genocide — and we took on this project as an anchor of hope and community-building in the midst of such total devastation. Passport of Witness currently resides in the following permanent collections: The Center for the Study & Preservation of Palestine Library; Whitney Museum of American Art; The Letterform Archive; Amherst College; Brown University; Stanford University; Tufts University; University of California Irvine; University of Connecticut This project supported by Cynthia Sears Artists' Books Collection at Bainbridge Island Museum of Arts and Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color Collective |
CONTRIBUTORS:
Amira Alghoul
Aya Abu Ghazaleh
Dana Samhouri
Ibrahim Silwany
Jaye Nasir
Judy Saafein
Leila Haseba Shaban
Lisa Suhair Majaj
Mandy Shunnarah
Melba Silwany
Mohamed Shalabi
Muyassar Yousef Kurdi
Natasha Abu-Fadel
Noor Abuzahriyeh
Paige Austin
Rachel Wilkinson
Reem Assaf Tabet
Ren Allathkani
Rhonda Jarrar
Saham Al Khayyat
Samaher Abuzahriyeh
Yasmin Keating
Younis Abu Ghazaleh
Zahi Alzaher
Zaynab Mohammed
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS: Baha Suleimon
HAND-BINDING: Sun Young King
EDITED BY: Stephanie Adams-Santos
RISOGRAPH PRINTING: Evan Bobrow (Rathaus Press, NY)
Amira Alghoul
Aya Abu Ghazaleh
Dana Samhouri
Ibrahim Silwany
Jaye Nasir
Judy Saafein
Leila Haseba Shaban
Lisa Suhair Majaj
Mandy Shunnarah
Melba Silwany
Mohamed Shalabi
Muyassar Yousef Kurdi
Natasha Abu-Fadel
Noor Abuzahriyeh
Paige Austin
Rachel Wilkinson
Reem Assaf Tabet
Ren Allathkani
Rhonda Jarrar
Saham Al Khayyat
Samaher Abuzahriyeh
Yasmin Keating
Younis Abu Ghazaleh
Zahi Alzaher
Zaynab Mohammed
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS: Baha Suleimon
HAND-BINDING: Sun Young King
EDITED BY: Stephanie Adams-Santos
RISOGRAPH PRINTING: Evan Bobrow (Rathaus Press, NY)
Purchase Information: libraries, public collections & institutions
These handcrafted, limited edition artist books are valued at $280+ for libraries, public collections, and institutions.
All proceeds from the sale of "Passport of Witness" books distributed through BOOKLYN will benefit UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency). To purchase for your library or institution, please contact: [email protected]
Purchase Information: friends & family
For a limited time, these handcrafted, limited edition artist books will be available for friends, family and local communities of the contributors at a sliding scale rate of $60-$120 (plus shipping) — as quantities allow. Only one copy per person. To purchase, use the form below or email proof of your donation to [email protected] and Venmo shipping to @SunYoung-Kang-4 ($6 USD domestic/$20 USD international).
These handcrafted, limited edition artist books are valued at $280+ for libraries, public collections, and institutions.
All proceeds from the sale of "Passport of Witness" books distributed through BOOKLYN will benefit UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency). To purchase for your library or institution, please contact: [email protected]
Purchase Information: friends & family
For a limited time, these handcrafted, limited edition artist books will be available for friends, family and local communities of the contributors at a sliding scale rate of $60-$120 (plus shipping) — as quantities allow. Only one copy per person. To purchase, use the form below or email proof of your donation to [email protected] and Venmo shipping to @SunYoung-Kang-4 ($6 USD domestic/$20 USD international).