JERUSALEM: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has unveiled a trove of pictures and film captured over more than 60 years chronicling the collective memory of those who fled or were forced into exile.
Established in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees who lost their homes when the state of Israel was created a year earlier, UNRWA has digitised the archive and put it on display in east Jerusalem.
More than half a million negatives, prints, slides, films and video cassettes collected by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency show men, women and children eking out new lives in refugee camps across the Middle East.
Called “The Long Journey,” a collection of the works has been on display at the Al Ma’mal Centre in east Jerusalem since Thursday.
“This project is important for the history of Palestine and Palestinians, in order to defend and preserve their identity,” UNRWA commissioner general Filipo Grandi said at the launch of the exhibit.
AFP
