By documenting football as it is played in Palestine, the photographer Amélie Debray offers a fresh perspective on Palestinian youth.
In Palestine, as in so many other countries, football is king. But because no tale told in this country is a simple one, it is a king without a crown, a king still seeking a kingdom. By documenting football as it is played in Palestine, the photographer Amélie Debray offers a fresh perspective on Palestinian youth.
These photographs bear witness to both a universal passion for the game and a statement of identity in a fragmented country. From Hebron to Jericho, from Nablus to Ramallah, the players—men, women and children, amateurs and professionals—doggedly follow their passion, despite often difficult conditions. Through that passion, football grounds are transformed into fields of dreams, life and freedom.
With this series Amélie Debray continues the work began in France and South Africa, a long-term investigation into football and how it is played around the world.