Arabic translation:
Even if I lose my voice, yours will remain (figurative)
If my voice leaves/departs...your throats will remain/not leave (literal)
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Artist's statement:
This print was made after the National March for Palestine in central London on Armistice Day (11th November 2023). It shows a homemade banner of martyred Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali’s most famous creation, the boy-witness Handala, in front of the 1912 statue Peace Descending on the Chariot of War by British sculptor Adrian Jones at Hyde Park Corner, made only two years before the outbreak of the First World War.
The line of poetry at the top of the image is taken from a poem by Syrian poet Samih Choukeir, and roughly translates as “Even if I lose my voice, yours will remain”. Here, it is written in Naji al-Ali’s own handwriting before his assassination, as a prescient reminder that no matter how many voices are silenced, the resistance will live on.
Louisa Macmillan (b. 1982, London) is an Arabist, curator and art historian, currently Head of Research and Archives at Azzawi Art, London (2015–present). Her love of language (especially unusual etymology and fiendish grammar) is matched by a passionate conviction that making visual art accessible to all is essential to mutual understanding between cultures.
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Image source:
https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/65592/1/art-for-a-free-palestine-the-new-exhibition-raising-funds-for-gaza