Iraq through Iraqi Eyes

5 minute read

Inside a dusty compound in northern Iraq, amid bombed-out tanks and empty prison cells once used for torture, a group of photographers gathered for a week-long intensive workshop on photojournalism.

Along with photographers Kael Alford, Newsha Tavakolian, and Anastasia Taylor-Lind, I was invited to be an instructor in the workshop, held earlier this month at the Amna Suraka, the national genocide museum in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The workshop, the brainchild of Stephanie Sinclair, Sebastian Meyer and Kamaran Najm, was sponsored by IREX International and organized by Metrography, Iraq’s first (and only) photo agency.

Najm, founder of Metrography and one of the organizers of the workshop, said it was important for Iraqi photographers to broaden their horizons and focus on more in-depth stories. “Without this workshop, Iraqi photographers would only know how to shoot wire images. Stories would disappear only to be told by foreigners. This workshop means that Iraqis will have the skills to do it themselves,” he said.

Meyer, who runs Metrography with Najm, added, “This is a new era of Iraqi photojournalism.”

Students came from all across Iraq and while several of them had been working for years as freelance photographers for wire services, many were newcomers to photojournalism. One of my students, Bashar Abdulah, hosts a television show for children in Mosul and another, Asaad Zwain, is the official photographer for a mosque in Najaf. Gona Aziz, one of two female students in the workshop, is a high school teacher.

Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian was Aziz’s instructor. “She had never made serious pictures before,” Tavakolian said. “Very amateur. She didn’t know how to use her camera, didn’t have a portfolio to show.” Tavakolian guided Aziz on how to use her camera then suggested she take pictures of the women in her family. She was surprised by the results.

“She came back with amazing pictures,” Tavakolian said. “They are all hungry for learning. When you give them opportunity, they really use it in a good way.”

“Every single one of them without fail made huge steps,” said Anastasia Taylor-Lind, a British photographer based in Beirut. One of Taylor-Lind’s students, Ahmed Husseini, spent days photographing at a hotel where day laborers lived, capturing intimate aspects of the workers’ lives. “I’m a changed photographer now because the workshop made me live with the story, something I’ve never experience before,” he said. “Before I just took pictures for AP, but now it’s different.”

I was deeply moved by the heart and determination of the students. The first photographs taken during the workshop by Abdulah, the television host from Mosul, were pretty dismal – out of focus and poorly exposed. But despite being detained four times by police (a government building was across the street from the magazine stand he was photographing), he kept going back to shoot more and eventually captured some strong images. Another student, Ari Mohammad, made pictures during the workshop with a huge bandage on his hand. I discovered later that he had been shot while covering protests in Sulaymaniyah in March. His photographs of Sulaymaniyah at night are filled with mood and capture a side of the city rarely seen.

Kael Alford, who has been working on and off in Iraq since 2003, said she never imagined she would be back teaching a photography workshop. “I was really happy to have at least one Iraqi woman in my class.” she said. “I would be so excited to see more women photographers in Iraq. We would begin seeing things from this country we haven’t see before.”

Alford inspired one of her female students, Bnar Sardar, an NGO worker, to begin to pursue photography as more than a hobby. “I used to take photographs as a hobby but now I realized that there is so much behind photography, not just pointing and shooting. You have to think. You have to be human. You have to deal with people. You don’t stop. You have to keep thinking.”

I stressed to the students that I wanted them to show me a side of Iraq that a tourist wouldn’t see, a side of Iraq that a western journalist couldn’t discover. I wanted them to show me their Iraq. And they did, beautifully.

Organizers Najm and Meyer said they hoped that the workshop would become a fixture in Iraq. “Perhaps we can turn it into a festival in a few years,” Najm said. “There’s so much potential here in terms of photographic talent.” Meyer added, “It exceeded expectations. I had no idea they’d pull off the work they did.”

Tavakolian said she was equally moved by the students work. “It’s so beautiful to see the country through the eyes of the local people.”

A portrait from the series, "Women." The photographer, Gona Aziz is a high school teacher.Gona Aziz
A shisha bar in Sulaymaniyah, from the series, "Night People." The photographer, Ari Mohammad, from Kirkuk, said that the workshop showed him how professional western photographers work, adding, "It opened another door to me."Ari Mohammad
Shekh Khalid, 44, lives with his wife and daughter in Sarau, a village outside of Sulaimaniya. In 1992 he lost his right leg after stepping on a mine.Rafiq Shukri
Highway workers in Sulaymaniyah, from the series, "Night People." Mohammad attended the workshop despite being shot in the hand while photographing protests in March.Ari Mohammad
In Kurdistan there are more than 4000 gypsy families spread around the cities of Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk, Erbil, and Mosul. The photographer, Sartip Osman, 20, said that the workshop helped him understand photo essays. "It was amazing," he said. "In a nutshell, I learned what photography is."Sartip Osman
Since the eruption of ethnic violence in 2005, many families from around Iraq have moved to the safe and stable region of Iraqi Kurdistan. To support themselves and their families in the south, they work as manual laborers, making between 10,000 and 30,000 IQD on the days they are lucky enough to find work. A portrait of a laborer, from the series "Displaced In My Country." Ahmed Al Husseini
A family reunion dinner in Sulaymaniyah, from the series "Displaced and Denied." The photographer Ahmed Al Shykhly said he felt lucky to make pictures of the family, who had fled Sinjar fearing ethnic violence. Ahmed Al Shykhly
Hasiba Jasni, 36, is a traffic policewoman. Jasni works five days a week and cares for her 4 year-old son while pregnant with her second child. Every day she prepares three meals for her husband, who owns a teahouse and has a second wife that he visits infrequently. The photographer, Bnar Sardar, was one of two women photographers in the workshop. "It was my first time to do a photostory and I loved it," she said.Bnar Sardar
Najeeba Omar, 58, has been married for 36 years and has 6 children. Najeeba and her husband work together selling tea on a trolley on Salim Street in Sulaymaniyah.Ari Jalal
Kareem Mohamed, 58, makes prayer beads and has a small stand in front of the Castle Mall in Sulaymaniyah. Married with 8 children, Mohamed prays at the mosque near his bead stand. Hakar Said Faizy
Every morning in Sulaymaniyah a large number of laborers gather looking for work. The photographer, Ali Arkady, said, "With these photographs, I want to show a life that very few of us see."Ali Arkady
Omed Ali Hama Salih is a surgeon in Sulaymaniyah. Safin Hamed, 38 from Erbil, said the workshop taught him the importance of intimacy with subjects. "This workshop taught me how to get close to people," he said. "I’m a wire photographer. All I do is news. This taught me how to make intimate images."Safin Hamed
Amjd Salah, 19, from Diyala, works at the Amsterdam Cafe on Salm Street in Sulaymaniyah. Salah and his brother came to Sulaymaniyah for work when their father became ill, sending their earnings back to Diyala to support their family. Ayub Y. Mohamad
Photographer Rawsht Twana documented a family whose children have the rare genetic disorder called thalassaemia. The husband and wife share a tender moment in their kitchen.Rawsht Twana
A day laborer in Sulaymaniyah. Ali Arkady, 29 from Khanaqin, said the workshop was the first step in learning about photo stories. "It opened a new door for me in a personal and professional way," he said.Ali Arkady
Dr. Omed Ali Hama Salih and his wife Soma Hussain in their home before leaving for work. The couple has a six-month-old baby. "Showing the emotion is really important in photographs. I knew about photo stories before, but not as intense as this," Safin Hamed said. "I learned that you have to be calm, but try really hard. Never give up."Safin Hamed
A portrait of Ashti Abdulrahman, from the series, "Women."Gona Aziz
A gypsy family in a camp on the outskirts of Sulaymaniyah, where more than an 400 families live. The photographer, Sartip Osman, 20, is a student in Sulaymaniyah. Sartip Osman
Shekh Khalid with his wife Gawhar and daughter Kaziwa. In 1992 Khalid lost his right leg when he stepped on a mine. The region is still littered with mines.Rafiq Shukri
A day laborer bathes inside a rundown hotel in Sulaymaniyah. With limited income, day laborers are forced to live in crowded, decaying hotels. Al Husseini, 27 from Karbala, said it took hours to make this picture. "They slowly let me in," he said.Ahmed Al Husseini
Mahmoud Mohamed Salh is a portrait artist in Shab Cafe in Sulaymaniyah. Mahmoud, a former Pesh Merga fighter, draws portraits for $4. From the series, "Artist Without Hope." Asaad Zwain
A portrait of Fayma Faraj, from the series, "Women."Gona Aziz

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