Gaza Girls – Growing up in the Gaza Strip

Gaza Girls: Growing Up in the Gaza Strip is a photography exhibition, set up in the public space by photojournalist Monique Jaques, which documents the lives of young women growing up and coming of age in the tumultuous region of the Middle East. What motivated Jaques to capture these experiences was the girls' tenacity, determination and passion in spite of the adversity they are forced to endure every day when carrying out the most prosaic daily tasks. Their dreams and aspirations are surprisingly similar to those of any other youngster of the same age who was born and is growing up in different circumstances. In the few spaces of freedom they enjoy, within the family or the community, we see the lives that don’t make the news about the Gaza Strip, but which might be the most affected by the conflict which has massacred the region.

Photojournalist Monique Jaques travelled to Gaza in 2012 with the intention of conducting an in-depth investigation into Operation Pillar of Defence. What was meant to be an eight-day mission turned into a five-year personal project, which in turn led to this exhibition and the publishing of a book at the beginning of 2018. Monique has been recording major happenings in the Middle East through her lens since 2008, with a particular focus on women and children.

Much of her work challenges preconceived ideas about women and Islam, with published reports on fashion and beauty contests in Muslim countries and the women who live in the shadow of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

With the support of: Gatrooms