Living is resisting
Palestine, West Bank, 2017
This is the philosophy adopted by Mourad, Sana, Fayez and Dr Abdelfattah to resist the occupation. Having met them, "Sourire du peuple" is an association that has assimilated the power of social networks to unite internet users around a cause. Its founder, Yacine, has turned the egocentric aspect of the Snapchat application on its head and allows subscribers to follow a team sent to Palestine live. For this eighth trip to Palestine, thanks to user donations, "People's Smile" is helping the Palestinians.
The use of the donations is totally transparent and broadcasted on the application. Volunteers have visited refugee camps and captured testimonies depicting the struggle of Palestinians.
In the background, some Palestinians suggest that it is not donations that they really need, but simply to speak out and be heard. This is how they met Fayez, who was focusing his efforts on agriculture, a means of self-sufficiency and resistance without violence. In Hebron, Mourad and the others organise demonstrations and other peaceful citizens' rallies brandishing cameras.
This photo-reportage highlights the daily life of an old and new generation that intends to live and not die for Palestine. Their slogan "to live is to resist", resounds like a call not to undergo a conflict that has already been raging for several decades, but to overcome it.