we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Fadi O. Al-Naji

    Fadi is a graduate in English language and literature from Al-Azhar University, Gaza, who now teaches the language in Kuwait.

     "Writing is my only way to escape from a life full of misery, boredom and depression. My perfect moment is when I pick up the pen after preparing a cup of coffee, with a cigarette flaming in my mouth; then words begin to flow with no way to stop," he says. Fadi feels it's time to produce something for his homeland, Palestine; it's time to share his voice with the entire world; it's time to write what he sees and encounters.

    "What I'm mostly concerned with when I write is to show reality as it is, portraying what precisely happens in Palestine from within, without exaggeration," he says. Fadi summarizes life in Palestine this way: "We confront a life full of ups and downs; it's about how to keep yourself standing despite the varied, vast waves of suffering."

    my work

    They say "all is fair in love and war"....except in Gaza.
    When the hardships of occupation and war fray nerves and emotions, friendships are tested.
    The ceasefire will mean nothing if the root causes are not addressed.
    Boredom and worry are my daily companions.
    One thing Gaza has is sunshine, and that can be an asset.
    We are a generation for whom a routine pastime is attending funerals.
    Qatar has become Gaza's only major funder, but even that isn't enough.
    When poverty is this deep, the gift of light is huge.
    Gaza is frozen out of financial markets, but cryptocurrency might be a solution.
    I stepped into their house and found darkness. But we brought hope.
    ’Israeli F-16 fighter jets struck the al-Katiba building with four missiles and killed two children,’’ the newscaster intoned. Those boys could have been me.
    Gaza has more than its fair share of disabled athletes and they are determined to keep competing.