The girls who think and dream just like we do: Monique Jaques captures the spirit of ‘Gaza Girls’

Monique Jaques is a photojournalist based in Istanbul, Turkey. She has previously focused on covering issues in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and West Africa. Monique’s photographs have appeared in numerous international press. Her work, ‘Protecting Our Land: Virunga’s Female Rangers’, was featured in the 2016 FENCE exhibition as part of Photoville. She is currently preparing to publish her first photobook later this year — ‘Gaza Girls: Growing Up in the Gaza Strip’.
Was your first or last visit to Gaza more emotionally demanding? Why?
Monique: Probably my first because I didn’t know the place at all. Once I got used to the way Gaza worked it became easy. Visiting Gaza is always emotionally demanding because you meet all these wonderful people who can’t leave — but you can.
What should we know about the persons you’re collaborating with for this book?
Monique: The most important thing everyone should know is that every word written in this book is by Palestinian women in their own words. It’s the stories the girls chose to tell and the words they used. My only input in the book is the images, which I photographed over five years in the Gaza Strip.

What kind of tone and context does your forward help establish for the book and how did you come to decide on its writer, Linda Sarsour?
Monique: We decided on Linda for the forward because she is the perfect voice to translate this work to the Palestinian community abroad as well as the rest of the readers who are looking in. Gaza journalist Abeer Ayyoub will be writing the introduction to the book to all those looking out. Because Gaza is such an isolated place, we believe these two voices are the perfect combination to narrate the inside-outside narrative of Gaza.

Have there been photos you refused to publish and moments you will not capture?
Monique: No.
Based on your conversations with these girls, what is it that has kept them resilient all this time?
Monique: I think it’s hope. I think the girls there, despite appalling conditions, continue to hope for better days. It’s so inspiring and humbling. Every girl I’ve met is so strong and resilient in the most amazing way. I’m completely in awe of these women, as I hope are the readers of the book.

What was surprising to learn about the places and spaces that had become sanctuaries for Gaza girls?
Monique: They’re very private. The most common place girls can go to is their bedroom and the bedrooms of their friends. They often go there as cafés and restaurants cost money and younger girls don’t have disposable cash. These rooms are often shared with sisters and decorated in what we in the west, would consider juvenile — lots of stuffed animals and cartoons on the wall. These small touches originally surprised me but I think it’s a way to keep dreaming — to remember how easy it was to do when you were young.

How did the frequent blackouts in Gaza add an additional depth to your work?
Monique: The blackouts are so common in Gaza. They just became a way of life. The power is often off for 12 hours, on for three, and that cycle repeats. Sometimes it’s on for four hours — but these days that’s rare. People’s lives are scheduled around the power — when it’s off you go to your friend’s house or out to a café. When it turns on there’s a flurry of charging phones and doing laundry before it goes off again. While it did not change my work it gave me a deeper look into the lives of women in Gaza.

How much of a difference does having access to the sea specifically impact the girls of Gaza?
Monique: The sea becomes a wonderfully symbolic space for people of Gaza. During the day there are people swimming — when it’s not polluted — and at night it becomes a place where families go for fun, relaxation, and most importantly, relief from the heat. I spent much of my time in Gaza at the sea and photographed there regularly.

What were the most unexpected challenges that came with publishing your first book?
Monique: While I had several publishers interested, the problem with photobooks is that they’re costly when compared to regular books and sell far fewer copies. Almost all publishers require a payment upfront to cover the costs of the paper, so I’ve turned to Kickstarter to raise those funds to publish this book with FotoEvidence.
What do you hope will change about the coverage of Gaza by the media?
Monique: I hope that this book will expand on the empathy for these girls. At the end of the day, they’re just girls. They live in a terribly complicated conflict but think and dream just like we do.
Purchase ‘Gaza Girls: Growing Up in the Gaza Strip’
© All photographs Monique Jaques
Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity
