The Travelers and the Realists – Photography and writing workshops at The Freedom Theatre
This summer young aspiring photographers and writers spent a month working on individual projects, guided by Mona Hassan, journalist and John Perkins, photographer, both based in Cairo.
The theme of the photography course was journeys – both in body and in spirit. One participant documented the Bedouin, who are commonly known as travelers but in fact do not move much nowadays and have always had strong ties to the rest of Palestinian society. Another photo project features wives visiting their husbands in prison, while another describes prisoners’ releases from prison and the journey back home to their families. One photographer documented how taking tawjihe, final exams, is a rite of passage, completing the journey from boy to man. Another participant documented the journey she recently made to a Tel Aviv water park, visiting forbidden territory.
The writing projects feature stories from real life, including a famous writer who became a falafel vendor to support his family, a family who were trapped in their kitchen while Israeli soldiers were shooting at the house, as well as a girl who got caught in a curfew with her brother, being told by an IDF soldier that if he liked her crisps he would let them go, if not he would kill one of them – a young soldier’s dark sense of humour.
– I want to teach them that reality is more inspiring and powerful to write about than fiction, says Mona Hassan. They are sitting on a goldmine of stories and experiences here and they need to bring them out.
On August 2nd at 8.30 pm the photography and writing projects were presented at an event at The Freedom Theatre.
On August 3rd at 6 pm the photo projects were also presented in Savannah, United States, at the Desoto Row Gallery.