I used to be 5 years previous once I entered the Maghazi Library for the primary time. My dad and mom had simply enrolled me on the close by kindergarten, particularly as a result of it was sending its pupils to the library for normal visits. They believed within the transformative energy of books and needed me to have entry to a big assortment as early as doable.
The Maghazi Library wasn’t only a constructing; it was a portal to a world with out boundaries. I keep in mind feeling an amazing sense of awe as I crossed its wood doorway. It was as if I had stepped into a distinct realm, the place each nook whispered secrets and techniques and promised adventures.
Although modest in dimension, the library felt infinite to my younger eyes. The partitions have been lined with darkish wood cabinets, crammed with books of all sizes and shapes. On the centre of the room was a comfortable yellow-and-green sofa, surrounded by a easy rug the place we, the youngsters, would collect.
I nonetheless vividly keep in mind our instructor asking us to take a seat round her on the rug and opening up an image e book. I used to be enthralled with its illustrations and letters, although I couldn’t but learn.
The visits to the Maghazi Library would instill in me a love for books that profoundly influenced my life. Books turned greater than a supply of leisure or studying; they nourished my soul and thoughts, shaping my id and character.
This love was ache as libraries throughout the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, one after the opposite, over the previous 400 days. In line with the United Nations, 13 public libraries have been broken or destroyed in Gaza. No establishment has been in a position to estimate the destruction of the opposite libraries – these which are both a part of cultural centres or academic establishments or are non-public entities – which have additionally been obliterated.
Amongst them is the library of Al-Aqsa College – one of many largest within the Gaza Strip. Seeing the images of books burning within the library was heartbreaking. It felt like fireplace burning my very own coronary heart. The library of my very own college, the Islamic College of Gaza, the place I had spent numerous hours studying and learning, can also be no extra.
The Edward Said Library – the primary English-language library in Gaza, created within the aftermath of the 2014 Israeli battle on Gaza, which additionally destroyed libraries – can also be gone. That library was established by non-public people, who donated their very own books and worked in opposition to all odds to import new ones, as Israel would typically block formal deliveries of books into the Strip. Their efforts mirror Palestinian love for books and drive to share data and educate communities.
The assaults on Gaza’s libraries are concentrating on not simply the buildings themselves, however the very essence of what Gaza represents. They’re a part of the hassle to erase our historical past and forestall future generations from changing into educated and conscious of their very own id and rights. The decimation of Gaza’s libraries can also be geared toward destroying the sturdy spirit of studying amongst Palestinians.
The love for training and data runs deep throughout the Palestinian tradition. Studying and studying are cherished throughout generations, not simply as means to amass knowledge however as symbols of resilience and connection to historical past.
Books have all the time been seen as objects of excessive worth. Whereas the associated fee and Israel’s restrictions typically restricted entry to books, the respect for them was common, slicing throughout socioeconomic boundaries. Even households with restricted sources prioritised training and storytelling, passing down a profound appreciation for literature to their youngsters.
Greater than 400 days of extreme deprivation, hunger, and struggling have managed to kill a few of this respect for books.
It pains me to say that books at the moment are utilized by many Palestinians as gasoline for fires to prepare dinner or keep heat, on condition that wooden and gasoline have turn out to be prohibitively costly. That is our heartbreaking actuality: survival comes at the price of cultural and mental heritage.
However not all hope is misplaced. There are nonetheless efforts to protect and safeguard what little stays of Gaza’s cultural heritage.
The Maghazi Library – the e book heaven of my childhood – nonetheless stands. The constructing stays intact and with native efforts, its books have been preserved.
I not too long ago had the chance to go to it. It was an emotionally overwhelming expertise, as I had not visited for a few years. Once I entered the library, I felt like I used to be returning to my childhood. I imagined “little Shahd” operating between the cabinets, crammed with curiosity and a need to find all the pieces.
I might nearly hear the echoes of the laughter of my kindergarten classmates and really feel the heat of the moments we spent there collectively. The reminiscence of the library will not be solely in its partitions, however in everybody who vsited it, in each hand that flipped by a e book, and each eye that immersed itself within the phrases of a narrative. The Maghazi Library, to me, is not only a library; it’s a part of my id, of that little woman who realized that creativeness is usually a refuge and that studying will be resistance.
The occupation is concentrating on our minds and our our bodies, however it doesn’t realise that concepts can not die. The worth of books and libraries, the data they carry, and the identities they assist form are indestructible. Irrespective of how a lot they attempt to erase our historical past, they can not silence the concepts, the tradition, and the reality that reside inside us.
Amid the devastation, I’ve hope that, when the genocide ends, the libraries of Gaza will rise from the ashes. These sanctuaries of information and tradition will be rebuilt and stand once more as beacons of resilience.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
