Akram Zaatari: Neruda’s GardenBorn in Aytaroun, Lebanon, in 1972, Nabih Awada joined the Lebanese re
Akram Zaatari: Neruda’s GardenBorn in Aytaroun, Lebanon, in 1972, Nabih Awada joined the Lebanese resistance as a member of the Communist Party in 1986, and took part in several military operations against the Israeli army in Southern Lebanon before he was captured in September 1988. He was taken to a prison in Israel but could not be sentenced until two years later, when he turned eighteen. Nabih spent most of his sentence in Askalan Prison and was released in 1998. While still in Askalan Prison, Nabih Awada’s communication with his family was restricted to letters, a few photographs, audiotapes, and one short video. Awada’s letters were written with an extremely positive tone, through which he tried to assure his family and friends that he was in good health, and that he was strong. Letters were signed with his nickname Neruda, and were often decorated with colorful flowers and with loving expressions. This work focuses on the difficulty of communicating situations of long isolation; in other terms, it focuses on all that Awada’s letters could never say. - beirutartcenter -- source link
#nabih awada#lebanon#political prisoner#arab art#akram zaatari