Atlas Week Keynote Speaker Shares Experiences Documenting Life in Gaza

04/15/2024

Palestinian-American photojournalist Eman Mohammed issued a challenge to the audience packed into Saint Louis University’s Center for Global Citizenship.

After sharing stories of her career in journalism, Mohammed talked about her future plans. She said she would soon be heading back to the Gaza Strip to document the aftermath of the ongoing conflict in the region. After that, her future plans were undetermined.

She challenged the audience to make sure her next assignment wasn’t about war, death and conflict.

“Work for the next story to be better,” she said. “I document, but I don’t create. That’s up to you.”

Mohammed’s remarks came at the end of a speech at the 24th annual Atlas Week Signature Symposium. The keynote address is presented by internationally renowned speakers who have dedicated their lives to issues of political and social justice. 

Mohammed opened her remarks by noting that this was the first time she had spoken in a public forum since the current conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023. She spoke about how deeply the death and destruction have impacted her and others.

Mohammed shared stories from growing up in Gaza and her entry into photojournalism. She began her photojournalism career at 19 in the Gaza Strip. For the first decade of her work, she focused on documenting the lives of Palestinians.

“If history isn’t told, it never happened,” Mohammed said about her interest in photojournalism. 

The documentation covered the death, destruction and obstacles faced by the Palestinians. She shared photos and told the stories behind the images. One photo showed children looking through a fence. Mohammed said she later learned the children were orphans.

Throughout her speech, Mohammed noted that the current conflict is nothing new to the region. She has spent years documenting various acts of violence in the Gaza region. She has had loved ones die and had her own young child injured. In December this year, her home in the area was destroyed. Still, she said she yearns to return.

“I keep being told how lucky I am to be away from a place I don’t want to be away from,” she said. 

Mohammed said that the protests in support of Palestine have offered a glimmer of hope. People of all backgrounds coming together to protest the Israeli military campaign has shown the way toward a better future. 

Mohammed closed her remarks by telling the crowd to put in the work to make things better. 

“For the first time, I’m not asking people to dream, I’m not asking people to wish, because I’ll be damned if I ask people to dream for equality,” she said. “I demand equality for everyone. It is ridiculous in 2024 to be dreaming of equality.”

The Atlas Program was launched in the spring of 2001 as a way to recognize the international dimension of Saint Louis University's academic programs and to celebrate SLU's role in international education and service in light of the Jesuit tradition. 

The theme of Atlas Week 2024 is "Flames Unleashed, Renaissance of Peace" and focuses on the various methods in which humanity strives for peace and liberation in a world of conflict.

Atlas Week organizers are currently seeking suggestions for the 2025 keynote address. Suggestions can be made by emailing atlas@slu.edu.