All photos © Maen Hammad, unless stated otherwise
The photographer tells us about his latest book collaboration with SkatePal, and about documenting Palestinian community
‘Haraka Baraka’ (الحركة بركة) roughly translates to ‘movement is a blessing’, and according to SkatePal, it’s a concept that resonates deeply with skateboarders. It also serves as the title for SkatePal’s second book, a 224-page exploration of language, culture, and the power of movement. SkatePal, a non-profit organisation founded in 2013, has been empowering young people in Palestine through skateboarding by building skateparks, providing equipment, and offering skate classes across the West Bank.
‘Haraka Baraka’ encapsulates this spirit of movement while also delving into the richness of Arabic language and culture. This book is a collaborative project between SkatePal, Lebanese designer Samar Maakaroun and several photographers both Palestinian and non-Palestinian such as Alex Adetiba, Greg Holland and Maen Hammad, who all work with SkatePal on a regular basis.
“Taking a few hours a week to imagine, create, and challenge yourself within a community you cherish is something that has been important, and has kept me and other skaters going”
Spanning a wide range of expressions – from simple everyday phrases to intricate proverbs with historical depth – the book highlights the importance of cultural exchange, a core principle of SkatePal’s mission. The phrases included come from a diverse group of contributors, including SkatePal volunteers, members of the global Palestinian diaspora, and Arabic-speaking fans of the organisation’s work.
One of the project’s core photographers, Palestinian Maen Hammad, knew about SkatePal before taking part in the project. Hammad has been documenting the skateboarding scene in the West Bank for almost a decade now. “The skaters are my friends, and much like other skate scenes around the world, I document the skaters, their tricks, and their relationship to skateboarding in Palestine as part of a collective archive,” he tells me. As a skater himself, the relationship is reciprocal.
The scene in the West Bank is a small one, but the skateboarders find community in one another and Hammad tells me that it’s “an important escape for young Palestinians and one tied to resisting a headspace of violence”. He doesn’t think that “skateboarding in and of itself is enough to liberate Palestinians,” but says that taking a “few hours a week to imagine, create, and challenge yourself within a community you cherish is something that has been important, and has kept me and other skaters going”.
Hammad has faced consequences for photographing in Palestine, including being brought in for interrogation; he says other media workers have suffered much more though, including arrest, detention, intimidation, and even death. “It is unfathomable what they face, and they face it every day,” he points out. Against this backdrop skateboarding continues to be one of his favourite things to do, and his main source of community.
