An exhibition was recently opened at the university library through the cooperation of the British Cultural Council and the Public Relations Department. The exhibition includes seventy original posters representative of all parties involved in the conflict in Northern Ireland. The posters are known as the Troubled Images. The images are a collection of election posters, civil rights posters, newspaper headlines, advertisements, and police information requests from Northern Ireland.
The commencement of the exhibition was attended by Professor Rami Hamdallah, University President, Dr. Nabil Alawi, Director of the Public Relations Department, and Ken Churchill, Director of the British Cultural Center in Jerusalem. A tour through the exhibition was led by Lucy Royal-Dawson, Right to Education Campaign Coordinator in Zajel Youth Exchange Program. Mrs. Royal-Dawson explained that despite the simplicity of the artistic methods which resulted in the production of the posters, they still produce very strong results.
Dr. Nabil Alawi, Director of the Public Relations Department said that the exhibition is an opportunity for university students to learn more about other conflicts around the globe and it gives them insight into other nations which struggle for freedom.
The University President, Professor Rami Hamdallah, thanked Mr. Churchill for the critical cultural cooperation between An-Najah and the British Cultural Center.
Mr. Churchill explained that the pictures show the artistic creativity of the people inflicted by the struggle and also stimulate the mind to think further about the issues in Northern Ireland. He said it's facile to draw comparisons between Palestine and Northern Ireland.
For the students of An-Najah National University, the exhibition provides a parallel to their daily lives. One student who attended the commencement of the exhibition, Rose, explained that some of the images remind her of the situation here in Palestine.
Palestine is only the latest stop for the Troubled Images, which have traveled all around the world. The origin of the exhibition can be traced back to Belfast's Linen Hall Library, where in 2001 the images were first put on display. In 2003, the Linen Hall Library was awarded the Ewart-Biggs Prize for Troubled Images.