Home, Mother and Nation
Perhaps the most well-known publication by Dar al-Fata, al-Bayt, the Home, addresses the plight of the Palestinians as refugees through a direct and simple narrative constructed around the theme that all creatures have a home, and concluded with the poignant truth that the Palestinians’ home has been usurped. Published in 1975, the book was translated into seven languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, German and English and won several local and international prizes like the 20th Arab Book fair in Beirut, 1975 and the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava, 1975.
Heya (She) is one of the most beautiful elegies of one's love for one's country. A requiem for a home, the book compares nature’s generosity, warmth and love to her: earth, the mother, home, Palestine.
In Alefba’iyat Filastin (The ABC of Palestine) beautiful drawings with rich cultural references adorn the alphabet with Palestinian symbols. Mohieddine al-Labbad introduces children simultaneously to Palestine and the alphabets through a set of national icons, folkloric references, and scenes form the Palestinian peasant life. The book was also printed in the form of a poster.
With the embroidered national dress on one page and a tree roots on the other, conceptual connections are implied to arrive at the boarder message of this series: Palestine as homeland.