Seventy three

Seventythree is shaped by two timelines: life before the most recent war, referred to as “guardian of the walls,” and the life that remains after. Before the war, the focus was on celebration—celebration of identity, nationality, language, and the generational differences between Nur and her grandmother, Layla. Sixty years separate these two figures, just as 73 years separate those expelled during the Nakba from their right of return, spanning the space from the river to the sea, then and now. This juxtaposes the first generation of the Nakba with its third.

After the war, little life remains. The gaps between generations have only widened. These same gaps, once a source of inspiration for Nur and Miso, emerged from the differences between two bodies sharing the same space and time. How can we celebrate now? What is left to celebrate?