We would be freer is a short film reflecting on the relationship between native plants and colonised peoples. Through story and knowledge sharing, Rana Nazzal Hamedeh’s film takes a close look at the sumac plant as a medicine, a powdered spice, a dye, and more.
Known for its zesty taste and bright colour, different varieties of sumac are found around the world. In particular, Staghorn Sumac is native to parts of Turtle Island* and Tanner’s Sumac to the eastern Mediterranean.
The film weaves between the voices of two women, one from the Mohawk community of Kahnawá:ke** and the other an internally displaced refugee in Ramallah, Palestine, The film contemplates the role of the sumac plant in two occupied lands that lie far apart.
Mimicking the progression of the plant’s flowers from yellow to green to red, the short film is a cyclical reflection on connection to land, sustainability, and wild plants.
Rana Nazzal Hamadeh is a Palestinian artist based on unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin land. Her photography, film, and installation works look at issues related to time, space, memory, and movement, offering interventions rooted in a decolonial framework.
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