Somoud In Dark Times by Rehab Nazzal, 2025

Somoud Amidst Darkness stirs questions​ that have long framed photographic discourse: can photographs capture the full horror of atrocity? How​ does text shape our perception of these images and​ what language is used to describe atrocity? Is it genocide,​ or acts of genocide? Palestinians in Gaza, the Occupied​ West Bank, and throughout the global diaspora know​ that they are living through or are witnessing genocide–​and domocide, the intentional and widespread​ destruction of housing.

What does “Never Again” mean when it is​ selectively applied? All of these questions​hover at the​ edge of this book. How long must the Palestinians live​ off of resilience?​This is the question we must answer first.

Dr. Rehab Nazzal is a Palestinian visual artist and​ educator who lives between the Occupied West Bank and​Montreal. Her practice prioritizes the effects of settler-​colonial violence on the minds and bodies of colonized​ people, on all forms of life, and​ on the land. Before and​ since the Gaza Genocide began on October 8, 2023,​ Nazzal​ has photographed fellow West Bank residents.​ Shared on Instagram, despite the​ platform’s racist​ censorship of support for Palestinians, the photographs​ reflect kinship, solidarity, and ﺻﻤﻮد (soumoud), resilience.

Dr. Nazzal was an assistant professor at Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem and has taught at Simon Fraser University, Western University and Ottawa School of Art. She is a a Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University, and the recipient of several awards, including the Social Justice Award from Toronto Metropolitan University and the Edmund and Isobel Ryan Visual Arts Award in Photography from the University of Ottawa.