Graffiti artist Banksy highlights condition of people living in Gaza
The elusive graffiti artist Banksy has reemerged among Palestinian ruins to give his instantly recognizable stenciling style a meaningful backdrop.
A politically charged travelogue of a war-ravaged neighborhood appeared on his YouTube channel late Wednesday with the title "Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.”
The footage shows Palestinian civilians standing among the devastation of war as darkly satirical captions appear.
“The locals like it so much they never leave (Because they’re not allowed to),” one reads.
Another says, “Nestled in an exclusive setting (Surrounded by a wall on three sides and a line of gun boats on the other).”
Banksy’s artwork shows children playing on swings around a dark watchtower and, on another wall, a large kitten.
When a local asked Banksy what the cat means, he explained that he wants to highlight the destruction in Gaza with photos on his website, but that people look at images of kittens only on the Internet.
One stencil shows a person — who resembles the character of Niobe from Greek myth — crying on the last standing piece of a building that had been bombed.
New #Banksy of the mythical Greek character, Niobe, weeping. (Photos: http://t.co/5WUbRC0eVQ & Banksy's Instagram) pic.twitter.com/2QLfq3q27D
— Sally (@BanksysTeddy) February 25, 2015
The gods Apollo and Artemis killed Niobe’s six sons and six daughters after she boasted about having more children than the Titan Leto, who only had two, according to Homer’s “Iliad.”
For this reason, Niobe typically symbolizes bereaved mothers.
Toward the end of the video, the following sentence is shown written on a wall: “If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side with the powerful — we don’t remain neutral.”
The artist’s publicist released a written statement to Yahoo News indicating that Banksy is not necessarily choosing sides but says the war-ravaged environment is a breeding ground for terrorism.
“I don't want to take sides,” Banksy said. “But when you see entire suburban neighbourhoods reduced to rubble with no hope of a future — what you’re really looking at is a vast outdoor recruitment centre for terrorists. And we should probably address this for all our sakes.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a highly controversial, polarizing topic for many people. In July 2014, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, a designated terrorist group.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 2,131 Palestinians were killed, including 1,473 civilians. This figure includes 501 children and 257 women.
During this time, 71 Israelis were killed, 66 of whom were soldiers. The others were four civilians and a security coordinator, according to a U.N. report.
