Sakir Khader

Sakir Khader, winner of the Zilveren Camera (Silver Camera) 2023 and Magnum photographer, shows topical work that focuses on the lives and survival of the inhabitants of Jenin and Nablus in Palestine.

What is it like to grow up in Palestine? How can you be a child in the midst of violence, fear and oppression?  What does your future look like, what possibilities and opportunities are there for you later in life?

Dutch-Palestinian photographer Sakir Khader takes us into the world of Palestinians living in Jenin and Nablus. Nearly 30 percent of the residents in these cities from the West Bank are refugees, Palestinians displaced as a result of the Nakba – disaster or catastrophe in Arabic – that accompanied the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and the many decades of wars and conflicts that followed.

Khader’s photographs highlight the resilient spirit of the inhabitants of both cities and refugee camps from this area. Innocence and the loss of innocence are central themes in his work, captured through poignant images and videos that bear witness to lives scarred by conflict yet also moved by courage and unimaginable perseverance.

The photographer portrays children growing up amid the stark realities of life in refugee camps, threatened by devastating wars, where early encounters with repression, loss, trauma and hardship all too often set the stage for a life of resistance. Khader also documents the determined fighters who do not wish to submit to the occupation of their beloved land.

Thanks to his personal background and open attitude, Khader has managed to get closer to both Palestinian civilians and fighters than many other photographers. His commitment to the people and land he reveres is intensely palpable in his work.