“If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, we side with the powerful – we don’t remain neutral.”
These are the words painted on a wall in Gaza, captured in the final scene of a new mini-documentary by the British artist known as Banksy.
The short film takes the form of a satirical travel advertisement. It opens with a shot of an airplane and the text, “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.” The person behind the camera then arrives at what appears to be the entrance to a tunnel. “Well away from the tourist track,” the onscreen text says, “(Access is via a net work of illegal tunnels),” it clarifies.
The film continues in this format, presenting the viewer with the kind of marketing language we expect from tourism commercials, then juxtaposing that language with straightforward descriptions of the injustices Palestinians face.
Banksy’s website also includes photographs of his work in Gaza. The captions display the artists’ penchant for satire.
