Shadows Of Alleys: My Name Is Maha. I Am 49 Years Old

About the bookletThis booklet is one of a serie of 3 booklets enclosing a collection of 180 photos, captured by young Palestinian girls and boys in Burj Chemali Camp, South Lebanon. Through using the ‘Pinhole Camera’ technique, these girls and boys captured some challenging sides of the lives of Palestinian youth through aspects of discrimination, violence and gender-based violence affecting their communities. Throughout these photos, the 3 booklets tell 3 personal stories narrated by the participants that implicate deep personal sufferings caused by community-imposed norms, traditions and social exclusion. Aspects of marginalization, affliction, and constraints inside the Palestinian camps are reflected in the stories, mirroring what Palestinian youth have captured through their pinhole cameras and through their perception of social challenges in their society.
The stories in this booklet are fictional narratives developed by participants and the names mentioned in the stories do not reflect any real life person.
Maha’s situation portrays a story of gender-based discrimination enforced by traditions, customs and norms which have deprived Maha of enjoying her rights of selecting her life partner and of pursuing her life the way she wishes. Denying Maha her right to marry the man she loves is an act of gender-based violence which undermine women’s rights and disregard women’s needs and desires.