LiminalSpaces

Inass Hamad Yassin
Dreaming of the Sea
It’s a video which tells a short story about dreaming of the sea. I reacted
to my dream and my wish by trying to reach the sea. The sea is not so
far… I used to see it from my window, as a bright line on a clear day. But
I was never able to go there.

I dreamt of the sea. I woke up from my bed and walked to put my trousers
and shoes on, and went on my way to the sea like any normal person who
wishes to do so acts. I went down the stairs and reached the street and
waited for the taxi, as if going to any normal mishwar - outing. Then I
reached the center of the city of Ramallah, where the street was full of
stones from the day before, when the Israeli military had entered the city.
I got on one of the service-minibuses heading to Qalandia checkpoint and
sat in the bus waiting till it was full with people so we would set out on
our journey to the checkpoint. An old woman was sitting in the bus
sighing, saying :La Illah Illa Allah -There is No God but Allah, while the
radio was reading Quraan. And when the bus was full and started to
move, the two young men beside me started to recite the prayer for
travel:
Glory is to Him Allah who has brought this vehicle under our control
though we were unable to control it. Sure, we are to return to our Lord. O
Allah! It is with Your Help that I struggle, move and walk. O Allah! I ask
you on this our journey for goodness and piety, and for deeds that are
acceptable to you. O Allah! Lighten this journey for us and make its distance
easy (short) for us… O Allah! I seek refuge in You from this journey’s
hardships, and from the disagreeable sights in store and from finding my
family and property and children in misfortune upon returning.?
We arrived to Qalandia, and I went to the checkpoint standing in line till
I reached the soldier who asked me ?Where is your ID, Where is your
Permit??? I said:I don’t have a permit, He then said: ?Go home?.
I turned to go on my way back home driving through the same stations.
When I reached the minibus, Mohamd Roshdi a singer from Alexandria,
city of the sea, was beaming on the radio, singing ?On the shore of the sea
of love, our boats were anchored, and longing has brought us together,
our loved ones and us!”
I continued on my journey home till I reached my bed where I went back
to sleep again, trying to dream of the sea.

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Inass Hamad
Born 1973, Assira, Nablus, Palestine. Obtained a B.A in oil painting and
plastic art from An-Najah University in Nablus. She is currently doing an
MA in Sociology at Birzeit University and has participated in various
local group exhibitions and workshops, producing art works that
highlight social realities. She has worked as visual arts coordinator for
prominent cultural centers such as the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center,
and is now currently working for both Goethe Institute in Ramallah and
the Virtual Gallery, Birzeit University.
inassyassin@hotmail.com
enasmari@yahoo.com
iyassin@birzeit.edu