Banksy sheds a light on the war-torn Gaza Strip in a satirical documentary that features artworks he painted on ruins. The anonymous street artist from the UK has been known to deliver powerful messages through his graffiti, especially on topics that only a few would dare to touch.
Gaza is a 139-square mile region in Palestine along the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by walls and armaments on three sides and guarded by gun boats on the east.
Banksy managed to get into the heart of the beleaguered region. He shows how so many people struggle for heat, food, shelter — things most of us take for granted.
“Gaza is often described as ‘the world’s largest open air prison’ because no-one is allowed to enter or leave”, he says, “But that seems a bit unfair to prisons – they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost everyday.”
This street art is inspired by a Greek mythical figure named Niobe, whose sons and daughters were killed by the gods. In her sadness, she retreated into a mountain where she was turned into a stone that wept incessantly.
No one knows exactly what it feels like to live through a war except those people who have survived it.
When asked why he chose to paint a cat, he explained, “I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.”
A local comments on the mural: “This cat tells the whole world that she is missing joy in her life. The cat found something to play with. What about our children?”
Indeed, many of these children are deprived of the chance to play and enjoy their childhood. The happiness they deserve has become no more than a mural on a bomb-torn building.
Banksy’s pictures don’t just paint a thousand words. They are filled with emotions that touch the depths of our humanity. You can watch his journey in this short documentary:
