Before Freedom

Started in 2022, Before Freedom chronicles the daily lives of the Palestinian people. From Jerusalem to Jericho, from Haifa to Hebron and beyond, the project offers a glimpse of a Palestine rarely seen, where children play, families picnic, and friends gather by the sea to share a meal… These are moments that celebrate being together here and now, yet they are also punctuated by the presence of soldiers, checkpoint crossings, and views of a wall that divides… Rouhana challenges the conventions of photojournalism and goes beyond the confines of news coverage. Contrary to the traditional documentary approach, using abstraction and social realism, he reveals the political complexity at play: issues of territory, cultural identity, and a present that is constantly on the brink. Time seems suspended here. Bathed in natural light, Rouhana’s images offer a counter-narrative—that of the Palestinian life that persists despite the ever-present overarching oppression. Before Freedom presents a Palestinian’s perspective on his community, far removed from recurring clichés. Varied geographies, ties to the land, the persistence of broad cultural pluralism, collective spirit, and the contours of a rich and historic identity: Adam Rouhana’s photographs function as acts of resistance against a reductive visual regime of domination. His photographs are accompanied by three essays by Ahdaf Soueif, Mosab Abu Toha, and Taous Dahmani.