A new documentary project on the life of “nomadic Bedouins” in Egypt
Homeland, immigration and identity are 3 main axes around which the cultural project of the young Egyptian photographer Mona Hassan revolves around under the title “Egypt’s Traveler”, through which she presents dozens of story images, and tells through them the story of the migration of Arab tribes to Egypt hundreds of years ago, and draws inspiration from their distinctive life experiences.
Not only did the Egyptian photographer participate in her project in the group exhibition “I am the Traveler and the Road” at the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, but she is now also preparing the first illustrated book about them. To provide compelling evidence of the ability of photography to transcend geographical and cultural barriers through the communication it achieves between people and the participatory human experiences it presents.
Hassan started her project in 2019; With the aim of tracking the Arab tribes that came to Egypt from many places, such as the Arabian Peninsula and Yemen, beginning with the Islamic conquest of Egypt, passing through different periods of time and for several reasons, and I searched in the scientific references to discover that one of the most important centers of their presence was the governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh (northern Egypt), so I carried her camera and traveled to them, And she met them over a period of 3 years to live with them and tell their stories through hundreds of pictures, to finally choose 140 pictures in her project, which also includes a literary narrative about them.
A little girl helps her family take care of the sheep (Middle East)
One of the most important questions that occupied the artist; What does the homeland represent for the nomadic tribes? If we searched inside them, would we find traces of the instinct of belonging? To what extent do they adhere to their customs and traditions? What are the most common elements with the places they go to? And I concluded that they do feel belonging, but it is belonging to wherever they live, even for a few days, so that this place where they have means of life for them, and for their animals and birds, becomes the temporary home, so they quickly build bonds of friendship and feelings of belonging to it.
After completing the project, she submitted it to the Sheikh Saud Al Thani Awards, which celebrates the work of the most contemporary and diverse photographers in the region, and is dedicated in its current session to providing stories for residents living in the regions of West Asia and North Africa for the years 2021 and 2022, so that the awards administration decides to choose 20 pictures of Mona Hassan. To participate in the group exhibition of distinguished works, which will continue until August 5th.
And nomads in Egypt choose their temporary homes on the outskirts of villages and small towns, according to the artist, who told Asharq Al-Awsat: “They do not easily integrate with the indigenous population, but they are known for their bright colors of clothing, their multiple artistic talents, and their superior craftsmanship in handicrafts, which gives an impression Wonderful for them in the hearts of the residents of these areas ».
The children of nomads did not attend school, because they and their clan moved from one region to another, which made education almost impossible, and this is what made some nomadic families settle down and learn agriculture, so that their children could attend schools, according to Hassan. And she continues: “The life of nomads is not devoid of fun, dancing, singing and staying up late. For them, the day is not complete without Samar, during which they gather with their neighbors in the pastures, and they dance (the dahiya), their most famous dance, and their women sing with their sweet voices traditional songs.”
Mayada… a sad story and an unknown fate (Asharq Al-Awsat)
One of the most important things that the pictures reveal is the characteristics of their daily lives and their different economic conditions, between the well-to-do and the humble. While some families take us to “concrete” houses full of stability, and their owners work as livestock and sheep dealers, other pictures lead us to homes of mobile tents that shelter Very simple families.
In addition, the pictures also highlight the details of their clothes and the care of accessories and small details even while they are inside the house, which brings together the women of the rich and poor tribes alike.
Hassan says: “What caught my eye most was their different clothes, which I focused on in the pictures, such as lacy gowns, multiple fresh colors, and soft fabrics such as lace, in addition to wearing a distinctively designed hat, which women make for them manually, and men wear djellabas that resemble traditional Bedouin clothes.”
One of the faces that stops the recipient most is a beautiful personality, the leader of one of the tribes, so she stands for a long time in front of features drawn by years and experience, adding to her face dignity, strength and self-confidence. The tribe that includes dozens of men and women.
Faces tell stories dating back hundreds of years (Middle East)
The project is not limited to presenting general features of nomadic life in Egypt, but it also addresses important societal problems and issues, such as “customary marriage of minors,” which was embodied in Mayada’s group of photographs. For him they resort to the customary solution; Until the girl reaches the legal age and the marriage contract is officially documented, but the problem is when a sharp disagreement arises and there is insistence on divorce before that happens, like the story of Mayada.
Mona is preparing to finish her book on travelers, but due to its high cost as a picture book in which photography is the primary protagonist of the work, she is looking for specialized publishing houses to print it, according to the artist.
2023-08-01 15:58:00
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