Portugal, 2014
I stood in the August sun with hundreds of others, waiting to be placed in lines carefully marked out with string in the dust. Once we had been arranged to the facilitators’ satisfaction, a drone rose into the sky and captured the image: from above, our bodies formed the words—"We Refuse to Be Enemies." "Heal Gaza."
This piece of aerial art was part of a larger activist workshop dedicated to envisioning a future without war. More than a decade later, I look back on that day with mixed emotions. I can only imagine the countless “desperate crimes and silent miracles” that have unfolded in the name of war and peace since then.
But I never forgot those words: "We Refuse to Be Enemies." The more I reflect on them, the deeper they resonate. They acknowledge that peace is not passive—it is an ongoing effort, a conscious choice. It demands that we refuse to give in to hatred, whether toward others, ourselves, or the wider world.
In this project, I explore how this phrase continues to challenge and shape me. What does it truly mean to refuse to be enemies? And how does this refusal shape the way we live, love, and seek peace?
Mobirise