This is the second draft of a video art piece that I made in the 12 hours bridging my last day as 24 and my first day as 25. It is a gift to my friends, family.
The photographs used for this stop-motion video were shot on an incomplete part of the Separation Wall in Bethlehem, 20 minutes from downtown Jerusalem. Sitting atop the highest mountain, next to the famous Everest Hotel, this location has some of the most beautiful, sweeping views of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
My friend Motaz, who grew up in and lives in Bethlehem (Beit Jalla), showed me the site before the wall was constructed — it was a natural wonder where we could escape all occupations. Over the course of the last year, we spent many afternoons sitting on the olive terraces, breathing in the fresh air — finding peace in such a noisy place.
Like a new building that blocks your view, the birth of the wall was ugly, violent and threatened the natural beauty of the land. In response, sometimes I tried to push on the wall — as if I could make it move just a bit. Other times, I let go of the physical space and pretended to have a magic wand that could make it all disappear.
Both my imaginary and physical responses to the wall were insufficient — after I let the wall hurt me so terribly I had to change first how I felt about the wall, before I could change it.
There, in a dance with the wall and my friend, we found Little Red and together, we made beautiful memories.
Shortly after I posted this story I wrote this short story, an adaptation of “Little Red Riding Hood” or “Layle” (Palestinian version).
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl who was loved by everyone who met her. Her mind was as wide as the sea, she was fertile, resilient, kind and welcoming.
For centuries, suitors came from near and far to try and marry her. But every time, she refused. Even with all their promises of freedom and security, Little Red knew that the only way she could truly be free was if she freed herself.
One day, a suitor came to Little Red’s house. She lived with her parents in her grandmother’s home on a beautiful mountain overlooking a wide valley. The suitor wanted to marry her, but she refused. “You will not take away my freedom,” she said.
The suitor was insulted. “The only way you will ever be free is if you marry me,” he said.
“I will not accept,” said Little Red. And with that, the suitor murdered her mother and fled the house.
After her mother was killed, Little Red and her father left the mountain to make a new home. They tried to get her grandmother to come, but she refused, and so they went to make their home on the other side of the valley.
But this was not enough for the suitor. He still wanted revenge. So to make Little Red’s life more difficult, he filled the valley with soldiers and made a rule that no women could pass without their husbands.
One day, Little Red’s father became very sick. He begged her to go to the mountain and pick herbs to make him healthy again. But when Little Red went to the mountain, she found that the suitor had burned all of the mountain side, and that only the mountain on the other side of the valley was still fertile.
Knowing that she had to save her father, she decided to go to the otherside of the valley to her grandmother’s house. Before she reached the valley filled with soldiers, she met a wolf. She had never met this kind of creature before, so she was not afraid of him.
“Hello, Little Red,” he said.
“Hello, Wolf,” she said.
“Where are you going?”
“To my grandmother’s house.”
“Across the valley?”
“Yes, across the valley.”
“But how will you cross? You aren’t married and the soldiers never allow women to cross by themselves.”
“Thank you for your kindness wolf, but I will find my way,” she said.
But she was so beautiful that the wolf couldn’t let her go. He wanted her for himself. He knew that if he had her, he would be the most powerful suitor in all of The Land.
“Well, I happen to be going the same way,” he said. “So I will just walk beside you for a short time.”
Even though Little Red wanted to be alone, she was glad for the wolf’s company, since it made it easier for her to cross the valley of soldiers. And together they passed without one soldier turning his head.
Eventually, Little Red was far enough from the soldiers that she wanted to be alone. “Thank you wolf,” she said. “I must go now and pick some herbs.” So she started to climb the rocky olive terraces looking for herbs and whenever she saw a patch of herbs on a higher terrace, she climbed higher and higher, until she was far from the wolf.
In the meantime, the wolf ran straight to her grandmother’s house and knocked on the door.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
“Who’s there?” called the grandmother from inside.
“Little Red,” replied the wolf. “I am free Grandma! I have come home!”
“Come in! Come in!” cried her grandmother. “I am too weak to get up, but come in and we shall celebrate!”
The wolf opened the door and went into the grandmother’s house. Surprised to see a wolf, the grandmother screamed. The wolf became frightened that the soldiers would hear him, so he stripped, gagged and blindfolded the grandmother and then, devoured her. He put on her clothes, climbed into bed and waited for Little Red to arrive.
In the meantime, Little Red, picked so much mint, maramiya and zatar that her hands were full, she started to make her way her grandmother’s house. But when she arrived, she was surprised to find the door of the house open. She went inside and found her grandmother curled up in the bed, the blankets covering her face.
“Oh grandmother,” she said. “I am here! I am here! I am sorry it took me so long, but the way wasn’t easy.”
She sat on the bed next to her grandmother and put her hand on her grandmother’s shoulder. Suddenly, the wolf uncovered himself and threw the blanket over Little Red. Unable to see or move, he swallowed her in one bite.
After his second big meal, the wolf was tired and he fell asleep in the bed without a thought.
But Little Red was still alive. Her grandmother, weak and tired, was sleeping in the stomach of the wolf, but Little Red yearned to be free. Around her grandmother’s neck, she found a key. The key she had been carrying for years and years. Although it was dull and rusted, Little Red knew that it was her only hope. So she took the key and started carving out the inside of the wolf’s stomach.
The wolf started to wrestle, for now his stomach was making noise.
“Oh, won’t you just be quiet,” he said to his stomach. “I’ve been deprived of a good for a meal for so long, I deserve to have this one!”
But Little Red wouldn’t stop. She just kept pushing the key further and further into his stomach until she had carved out several little holes all in a row. These holes made the wolf nauseous, and even though he was too fat to move, he rose from the bed and went to the door to get some fresh air.
There he was greeted by a visitor from a far land, who upon seeing the door open, came to the grandmother’s house to check on her.
“What’s happening here?” asked the visitor.
“Nothing, nothing” said the wolf, holding his stomach. “Everything’s fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” said the visitor. “Do you live here by yourself?”
“Yes, yes,” said the wolf. “Of course, thousands.”
When Little Red heard the visitor, she felt she had a chance. She jammed the key into the first hole of the wolf’s stomach and pulled it straight down to connect all the holes and make an opening for herself. She then jumped out of the wolf’s stomach, pulling her grandmother behind her.
The visitor, frightened to see Little Red and the grandmother come out of the wolf’s stomach, beat the wolf over the head with his briefcase and the wolf fell to the ground dead.
The visitor was happy to see Little Red and the grandmother free, for he had witnessed what he though was a miracle.
The grandmother was happy to be freed by her granddaughter, who she had missed for so many years.
But happiest was Little Red, who liberated herself from the wolf’s stomach. Surely her grandmother inspired her and the visitor gave her courage – but it was her, who liberated herself, and from this she knew she was truly free.
