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Terra Fidea - Land of Fidelity
Vera Tamari
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I can’t recall when I first heard that strange melody coming from his house, the one opposite
mine… I stood there for a long while absorbing the sound and watching his melancholic face
and long dreamy gaze. He looked towards me ! does he see me as I am able to see him?... is
he playing for me?... is he wooing me with his music?
These lines are from “al Lahn al Awwal” (The First Melody) , a love novella by Ramallah author
Yasmin Zahran. Partly biographical- partly fictional, the story is centered on the platonic
relationship of Raya and Musa. The backdrop is a neighborhood of old Ramallah - then a small
village and the misty valley with the terraced hills surrounding that valley. The protagonists:
people from that village, family members, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, village elders and
a myriad other characters some real while others as if extracted from folk tales. The exquisite
mostly poetic narrative of the story, portrayed in intimate descriptive vignettes takes us to
various locations and situations, shedding light on the daily life of Ramallah before 1948, as
people went with their normal activities and practices. This was the “authentic” Ramallah
before immigration, wars and political conflicts changed the fundamental nature of the place.
Visual artist Vera Tamari, titling her work “Terra Fidea – Land of Fidelity” adapts sections from
Yasmin Zahran’s book, in an installation of readings and painted tableaux specially created
for this exhibition.
Readings: Tania Tamari Nasir.
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Location : Ramallah
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Date of work : 2010
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