Jessie Boylan

Sajeen / Prisoner, Gaza, Palestine 2009-10

Amongst the scenes of a protest fingers are on the trigger, the atmosphere is tense and anxious. The protestors, completely engulfed by modes of fear and control, watch each other; they watch the soldiers, the black suited men, and the concrete wall in the distance. Sajeen refers to a population whose lives are completely restricted on either side of the border, where every action is observed, directed, inhibited.

The lifeline of an interior economy is precarious, a tunnel collapses, a bomb explodes, a boat is captured; the physical and mental environment of everyday citizens in Gaza is completely dominated by interior and exterior forces. These images depict populationʼs resilience in order to survive despite all odds against them.

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I visited the Gaza Strip three times in 2009, for different reasons, the last one being to continue a larger body of work about landscapes of war and trauma and to continue the documentation of 60+ years of occupation and the impact on a population living within a tiny enclosed environment.

These photographs were taken in just 48 hours, after a five-day journey through the Sinai desert en route to Gaza; dodging Egyptian check points with Bedouins, hiding out in border-zones, being fed and housed by welcoming families. I had bought a medium format camera and out of date film in downtown Cairo just days before leaving for Gaza; I was unsure if the camera was working, and had only 10 rolls of film, I knew what I was looking for but I also knew it was going to be difficult.

Sajeen audio: 19:09mins