Oma Mohamad, (close to 80 years old) chose the word التعاون which means “cooperation”. She told me that she has experienced a lot of cooperation on a small scale in her refugee camp. Her family arrived from what is now Israel in 1948 to an empty piece of land. Since then, and thanks to families cooperating, the camp has evolved with concrete housing, new schools, paved roads and small businesses setting up. Although Balata Refugee Camp is a rough place because of its role at the forefront of Palestinian resistance, there’s almost no violence between the inhabitants themselves who’ve always stood together and cooperated. The trouble has always been with outside forces.
Oma Mohamad told me that she would like to see more cooperation on a larger scale in order to live in a peaceful world. The powerful people who rule our countries have a lot to learn from the humble people of Balata.
Seb Toussaint 