'Om (Mother)
Barbara Debeuckelaere
‘Om (Mother) is a collaborative photography project by Barbara Debeuckelaere and all the women of eight families from Tel Rumeida in Hebron, Palestine. ‘Om means mother in Arabic and is the title of this joint photography work.
Barbara Debeuckelaere is a Belgian visual artist and photographer. In february 2023, during a guided walk through Hebron, Barbara Debeuckelaere witnessed a violent incident. During the walk an Israeli soldier attacked their Palestinian guide, pushing him to the ground and kicking him, for no apparent reason. It was the reason for Debeuckelaere to start this project.
Apart from Jerusalem, Hebron is the only place in the West Bank where radical Israeli settlers live in the heart of a Palestinian city. Hebron is also home to several sites sacred to both Jews and Arabs. The entanglement of small and heavily guarded Israeli settlements cuts up historic neighbourhoods into small sectors with checkpoints, severely restricting the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents.
Since only two per cent of the Old City’s population is Israeli, protected by more than twice as many soldiers, tensions in this split society regularly escalate. Apart from the lingering conflict and illegal occupation, Palestinians are under constant surveillance and face the immediate threat of their colonist neighbours violently harrasing them, which they do with impunity. Palestinians live here, in their own country, as second rate citizens.
Although both men and women suffer from this situation, women are heard or seen much less. In ‘Om (Mother), the Palestinian women of Tel Rumeida claim agency by handling the camera themselves to document their lives, their homes, and their immediate surroundings. The camera is used to show their perseverance and expose the ambiguity of home. By showing the world their determination to continue their daily lives under occupation, these women are participating in the ultimate act of resistance.
‘Om (Mother) is especially powerful because of the contrast between the texts of South African photographer Adam Broomberg and Debeuckelaere and the photographs of the women. The texts describe the harsh daily reality, while the photographs are actually very hopeful. In Dying To Exist Sakir Khader describes also daily life on the West Bank, in refugee camp Jenin. But that book has a completely differtent feeling. ‘Om (Mother) is less violent, although the violence is still present beneath the surface.
‘Om (Mother)
Photographer: Barbara Debeuckelaere i.c.w. Palestinian mothers
Publisher: The Eriskay Connection
Published in 2024
Paperback, 320 pages, 11,5 x 16,5 cm
exposed selfcover with dust cover
Essay by Adam Broomberg
Shortlisted for the 2024 Les Rencontres d’Arles Photo-Text Book Award
Shortlisted for the 2024 Paris Photo – Aperture First Photobook Award