Take off your earrings and belt, empty your pockets, put away your phone, and take out your ID. This is the “routine” that Palestinians have to face as they commute from one city to another.
The checkpoints assembled by the Israeli military occupation are intentionally designed to make Palestinians wait in cramped lines and high-tech cages to go through “security” checks. During this procedure, they must remove any metallic objects, pass through an X-ray machine, and prepare their identification cards for inspection.
As a result, “The Black Sac” was born. Previously dubbed “The Checkpoint Bag,” it is a handmade daily-use leather bag designed and manufactured in Palestine by Areej Ashhab, a 26-year-old Palestinian architect and social activist living in Jerusalem.
“The Black Sac” originated from the continuous struggle for freedom of movement in Palestine and the military checkpoints that Palestinians cross on a daily basis to get to their work, visit relatives, and have access to basic health and education services.
“I grew up crossing through checkpoints,” Asshab told Kayani Project. “I used to pass through one to visit my mother’s relatives in Bethlehem or to get to my school when I was a student. Now, I cross it to get to my work.”
“That’s why it’s the first thing that came to mind when I participated in a 2015 workshop organized by ‘Disarming Design From Palestine’ and got asked to come up with a prototype that reflects the daily life and history of Palestinians in collaboration with two students from Holland,” Ashhab said.
In the front, “The Black Sac” includes three easily accessible horizontal pockets which could be used to hold one's jewelry, phone, wallet, and belt. A handle on the bottom allows the user to access the pockets fast and easily. On the other side, the extra-cushioned back is shaped as three boxes inspired by the metallic bars at checkpoints. It aims to provide the user with comfort on their journey, and it also includes an external laptop compartment.
“I chose the color black as it reflects the bluntness of the design,” Ashhab commented.
“Although the bag makes it practical to pass through checkpoints, it is not its main goal,” said Ashhab. “Instead, the design aims to raise awareness regarding the complex layers of mobility in Palestine and to challenge the existence of checkpoints.”
Ashhab also added a secret compartment that is only visible to the soldiers when the bag enters the X-ray: a piece of metal that looks like keys, symbolizing the right of return.
“It is a message for the soldiers that even with the existence of the checkpoints, we are still crossing and returning to our home and land,” Ashhab said.
This feature was removed with the rebranding and renaming of the bag as Ashhab decided to free her designs from the architecture of occupation and the humiliating experience of crossing checkpoints.
Due to the Israeli apartheid, Palestinians are faced with sudden closures and newly set up cement blocks that obstruct their daily life activities and movement between the segmented parts of their homeland. The bag aims to turn the irritating journey of traveling inside Palestine into an empowering one.
“I will be making more designs that respond to the vulnerabilities we, Palestinians, have to undergo,” Ashhab said. “Our bodies, life, and properties are constantly vulnerable due to the instability that the occupation imposes on us and the way it controls our life.”
Ashhab will be continuing her studies in forensic architecture which combines architecture and human rights.
The bags are sold online on @TheBlackSac on Instagram.