Beneath the rubble of buildings that once were schools, residencies, hospitals, universities and other sites of normal life, there lie humans who have been bombed, living out their daily routines.
As much as the loss of these lives is shocking and poignant, it also points to more long-lasting consequences: the loss of history, memory and cultural ties that bind people together.
In war, these are the lesser-known, but no less valuable losses.
Tangible treasures consist of historical buildings that remind us of the past. Intangible treasures are those that make up a community. They are songs, community practices, rituals, music and dance that make up a society and breathe life into it. Without it, a society is just mechanical and without a soul.
Beyond physical loss, communities caught in the throes of war lose their traditions, languages and cultural practices that are tied to them.
Cultural heritage plays an important role in shaping identity and connecting people to their past. When these elements are lost, the disconnect from history, the past and the future is almost certain.
The widespread displacement of civilians in parts of the Middle East, that is continuing even today, has created a sense of loss of home and identity.
For many people, home is not just a place but a symbol of memories, culture and belonging. Losing it can lead to feelings of grief and disorientation.
Even when people find safety elsewhere, the emotional connection to their home remains strong. The efforts of people to reach out and find more about their past homes and lost lives will remain a moving project through the coming years.
Postcolonial researchers have often pointed out how colonisation erased memory of past cultural heritage, creating entirely new spaces of colonial knowledge.
In Gaza, over the last three years, cultural historians have been referencing the sense of instant erasure. This comes in the form of vast, quick and thorough removal of all sites of cultural memory, including libraries which house books of knowledge and practices, and music institutions that showcase musical instruments and records of festive songs. Without them, there will be no memory of the rich cultural heritage associated with this region.
Artists living in and outside Gaza have spoken movingly about the multiple losses which they are enduring. Not only is there physical loss of family and loved ones, but there is also the loss of actual art that they produced over the years and which remains central to their artistic identity.
Artist Shareef Sarhan references this as “the loss of the artist’s soul”.
While physical destruction in times of war is highly visible, the non-material losses are often deeper and longer-lasting. Psychological trauma, broken social ties and loss of cultural heritage can affect societies for generations.
Accepting and understanding these invisible consequences is essential to rebuilding peace and helping communities recover after a conflict. Only by addressing such impacts of intangible loss can true healing and stability be achieved.
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