‘Camel of Hardship’ (Jamal al-Mahamil) is an iconic 1973 artwork by Sliman Mansour. It is an oil painting on canvas (90 * 100 cm) that has been printed thousands of times and hung in numerous Palestinian and Arab homes from the West Bank to Gaza, from the Galilee, to refugee camps in the diaspora. The painting is known for its political, cultural, and religious symbolisms for Palestinians. The painting is often hung next to portraits of Gamal Abdel Nasser in most Palestinian and Arab homes, given the status of Abdel Nasser and those who held immense love and respect for him.
Camel of Hardships 1973
‘Camel of Hardship’ hung next to the portrait of Abdel Nasser’s is stuck in my memory. During my childhood and adolescence, it was not only hung in my family’s home but in the homes of numerous friends whom I visited. This painting has been one of the elements that constructed and shaped the awareness of an entire generation, and I am an offspring of this generation.
The image of the poor, elderly, barefoot man carrying the Holy City on his back, tied with a rope to his forehead, became a symbol of resilience and holding onto the truth. The scene depicted by the painting has been engraved in people’s memory. Sliman Mansour drew inspiration for the artwork years following the fall of Jerusalem into the Zionists’ hands in 1967.
The scene didn’t change much between 1973 and 2021. The painting remained an icon for Palestinian, Arab, and global art. During the 2021 Unity Intifada, a digitally modified version of the ‘Camel of Hardship’ circulated on social media, depicting a Palestinian fighter from the Gaza Strip carrying the Holy City on his back, while the elderly man – who carries the city in the original painting – rests. This modified image resembles a new generation, that carries the nation on its back and tied to its forehead.
Sliman Mansour’s second iconic painting is of the martyred schoolgirl, Lina al-Nabulsi, who was killed in Nablus in 1976. Israeli Occupation Forces prevented anyone from photographing her. Her death inspired a poem by Hassan Daher, its lyrics sung by both Sheikh Imam and Ahmad Qabour. The image of her still body was made tangible in a painting by Sliman Mansour. He recreated Lina’s story with the help of his wife — his fiancé at the time — Hanan Katu’a, who portrayed Lina al-Nabulsi lying on the ground, in her blood-stained school uniform.
The Bride of the Homeland (Lina al-Nabulsi), oil on canvas, 1976
Just like the ‘Camel of Hardship,’ Lina’s portrait became a symbol hung in every house, stuck on every pole, in the alleys and the pathways of Palestinian cities, villages, and camps. The portrait ignited the enthusiasm of the youth, who revolted in the streets of Gaza, the West Bank, the Galilee, and other parts of Occupied Palestine.
“Men in the Sun” by Ghassan Kanafani, “Handala” by Naji al-Ali, “The Dice Player” by Mahmoud Darwish, “Out of Place” by Edward Said, “Thirst” by Ismail Shammout, and “The Martyr Lina al-Nabulsi” are all creative works by Palestinian artists who have left their visible mark on the Palestinian cultural scene and enriched it. Mansour is one of those creative Palestinian artists whose work and experience were not only influenced by great global artists, but also by the daily Palestinian scene epitomized by how the Occupation crushes people’s dreams and besieges their lives daily.
Mansour’s work is also influenced by Jaffa’s oranges, whose owners were prevented from harvesting them following their forced expulsion during the Nakba; by Palestinian olive trees, uprooted, confiscated, and burnt every day by the Occupying forces; by Palestinians revolting in the streets of the West Bank and Gaza; and by the Palestinian coast, from which its original inhabitants continue to be barred.
From The River To The Sea 2
Sliman Mansour painted Palestine’s orange orchards and olive groves. His paintings constitute beautiful scenery, and the kindness of the Palestinian people as if his paintings are an ongoing tale narrating Palestine’s soul and beauty with its coast, desert, and mountains.
Sliman Mansour
Mansour was born in Birzeit, north of Ramallah, a year before the Nakba. His paintings have depicted Palestinian scene in villages and cities, and images of fighters, mothers, and resilient women. He has also painted the Intifada, Palestine’s harvest seasons, and the Palestinian coast. During the First Intifada, heeding the call of the Unified National Leadership to boycott Israeli products, a group of Palestinian artists – including Sliman Mansour, Nabil Anani, Vera Tamari, Khaled Hourani, and Tayseer Barakat – agreed to replace products that were only available in the Israeli market (such as colors, cloths, etc.) with organic material from Palestine, including pottery, clay, animal skins, and tea.
A few days ago, Sliman Mansour celebrated his 76th birthday. He’s still at the peak of his creativity, despite the health challenges he faced nearly two years ago. His recent art project involves depicting the coastal cities of Palestine — such as Yafa and Akka — with the use of natural materials.
