Lecture
Thursday 19 September 2024
Jumanah Bawazir
The Siege of Silence with Jumanah Bawazir
“How can we bridge the gap between understanding and communicating violence when those who document and narrate—capturing and articulating truth—are being systematically silenced? This gap, fuelled by mainstream Western approaches to neocolonial violence, dehumanizes victims and survivors of the genocide in Gaza, trivializes their suffering, and perpetuates further violence that continue to erase Palestinian narratives. Settler colonial systems depend on crafting a singular national narrative while simultaneously deconstructing and burying the narratives of those they oppress. To address this, knowledge production and advocacy must be led by the affected communities themselves. In this talk, I will trace the historical continuity of the Nakba in the ongoing genocide we are witnessing in Gaza, drawing direct links between persistent cycles of violence and dispossession faced by Palestinians.” – Jumanah Bawazir
Bio
Jumanah Bawazir is an advanced researcher at Forensic Architecture and a multidisciplinary designer. She trained as an architect at the Architectural Association in London.
Her work at Forensic Architecture focuses on the overlay of open-source research and digital modeling to bring forth civil investigations that confront state narratives.
Her own research weaves together storytelling, film, and poetry, as forms of collaboration and communication to confront the spatial politics of exile. She has previously taught at the Architectural Association Summer School, worked in architectural practices, and has exhibited her work at the 2023 Sharjah Biennial as a collaborating artist, as well as at the Qattan Foundation in Ramallah.
