Gaza Graffiti: Messages of Love and Politics

Graffiti began in Gaza in 1987, during the first Intifada, when there was no Palestinian television or radio in the Gaza Strip, and no newspapers: the messages that spread along the walls became an important means of communication. Over the years, all political groups have had their own graffiti artists. Scrawl is not tolerated-it has to look good. Hamas even offers evening classes in graffiti.Documenting the writings on the walls of Gaza over a period of seven years, celebrated Swedish photojournalist Mia Grondahl lays before us the many roles that they perform, the colorful and surprising range of their artistic expression, and their reflection of the changing political situation. And apart from political slogans, the walls bear witness too to joy and sadness: the wedding celebrations, the many victims of the conflict, and the ever present hope of peace and freedom. For us on the outside, Mia Grondahl's photographs offer an exciting and unexpected view of life in Gaza.

This book photographically documents the graffiti of the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. Unsurprisingly, much of the graffiti is political, for example offering congratulations to this or that political faction, commemorating victims of the Israeli military, depicting and protesting life under Israeli siege, or depicting political figures such as Yasser Arafat, but a small amount of the graffiti shown in the book deals with other concerns (such as weddings). Distributed in the U.S. by International Publishers Marketing (IPM). Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A photographic exploration of Gaza s writing on the wall