Barakat:I also recall my uncle, who had been imprisoned and missing since before 1956. Adding to that, I had been reading letters written by a prisoner who had been addressing his daughter, since she was five years old, and it pushed me to read more by the same prisoner and by his daughter. I was deeply moved by the father/daughter relationship, which was deeply manifested in the letters: the guidance, closeness, tutoring, etc. Hence I sensed the sensitivity of the subject and its universal aspect, for it concerns not only the Palestinians but millions of people with similar experiences, especially in third world countries. I was very touched by the emotional state of the prisoners, when in distance from their beloved. This persuaded me to further do research into this arena.
Bader : Could you talk more about the memory you have of your uncle?
Barakat: I was born after the disappearance of my uncle, yet as a child, I heard many stories about him; that he was arrested, imprisoned, martyred, etc.. But we have no record of what really happened to him. My grandmother used to wait for him everyday until sunset, at the top of one of the streets of Jabalia Refugee Camp, hoping for his return. In that street she passed away, waiting.
Bader: I read some of the prisoners’ letters you would given to me. I found some very difficult to read. How did you handle this yourself and represent it artistically?
Barakat : In the beginning, I was not thinking about making art, I was concerned with the human experience it endowed me with and therefore it increased my interest to read more letters. And I did precisely that for over duration of 14 months. Each prisoner has his own character, energy and love; also stories of marriage, parenting, etc were very moving. One prisoner for example had written 117 letters to his 6 year old nephew, which were filled with love, passion and a deep sense of separation. I also found it very difficult sometimes to finish reading some of the letters.