"Gaza Remains the Story" Adapted Exhibition Statement for the Museum of the Palestinian People

With additional writing by Wafa Ghnaim

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself—
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

“If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer (1979-2023)

“Gaza Remains the Story” presents the cause and context of the Palestinian experience, centering on the land, cultural heritage, and people of Gaza who have been devastated by war, colonialism, and ongoing ethnic cleansing. This exhibition aims to inform, educate, and bear witness to Gaza’s reality, while offering a glimpse into the arts, aspirations, and enduring spirit of its people amid one of the most harrowing periods in Palestinian history.

According to the United Nations and leading human rights organizations, Israel has committed genocidal acts against the Palestinian people during its ongoing invasion and bombardment of Gaza since October 7, 2023. As relentless airstrikes seek to erase the daily life, artistic expression, and imagination of Gaza, the works on display stand in defiance of that destruction. They serve as a window into the resilience of a people whose creativity refuses to be silenced, and offer a look behind the theater of war and conquest flooding our screens.

While some materials are reproductions from the Palestinian Museum’s collection, this adaptation expands upon the original exhibition, incorporating new research and critical commentary from the Curator, Wafa Ghnaim. Originally developed by the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, this exhibition was adapted for the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, DC. “Gaza Remains the Story” seeks to reclaim some of the inaccessible and intangible aspects of Palestinian cultural heritage—fragments of identity that those in exile struggle to hold onto with each passing day.

“Gaza Remains the Story” raises urgent questions:

How can we access Palestinian arts and culture when they are physically out of reach—destroyed, deemed inaccessible, buried under rubble, or deliberately erased during the ongoing genocide?
How do Palestinians in exile reclaim both tangible and intangible cultural heritage? What is our duty, individually and collectively, beyond bearing witness?
What does it take to build an indestructible archive of sacred, traditional knowledge—one that will serve future generations, independent of social media? That prioritizes Elder wisdom, oral history, and indigenous cultural traditions? One that still honors the power of the digital archive?
Can demolished cultural heritage sites and obliterated material culture be reconstructed through other mediums and formats in the diaspora? What can you do with the skills and supplies you have on-hand?
After viewing this exhibition, what role will you, the viewer, play in supporting Palestinian-led efforts to preserve and restore cultural heritage?

By engaging with these questions, “Gaza Remains the Story” urges audiences to reflect on the power of collective memory as a vital home for oral history and traditions, the ancestors who have safeguarded Palestinian cultural heritage for centuries, the digital archive as a living historical record, and the urgent need for innovative approaches to cultural preservation in the face of near-total erasure. Through it all, Palestinians continue to write a new chapter in human history, one defined by profound, unwavering love and resilience in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

“Gaza Remains the Story” is on view at the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, DC from April 11 to November 2, 2025.

Learn more about upcoming events and curatorial updates regarding this exhibition at: https://www.tatreezandtea.com/gaza

Explore the Museum of the Palestinian People’s collections and ongoing research at: https://mpp-dc.org/learn/

Share this exhibit in your space at: https://palmuseum.org/en/GazaRemainsTheStory

If referencing or quoting this essay in your own work, please cite as follows:
Wafa Ghnaim, “‘Gaza Remains the Story’: Adapted Exhibition Statement for the Museum of the Palestinian People,” The Tatreez Institute (blog), April 11, 2025. https://www.tatreezandtea.com/tatreezing/2025/3/grtsstatement