“You never forget the death of your father. I’ve been living with it daily for the past 57 years.” I said this to a young Yemeni photographer, Sadiq, who shared his moving project honoring the death of his father. Such was the level of intimacy and intense sharing I recently experienced during a powerful three-day workshop I led with a group of young Arab photographers attending the Image Festival Amman, in Jordan.
Teaching and mentoring provide deep rewards and help build community. Whenever I’m able to cross national, cultural, religious, and generational boundaries, the experience is especially enriching. This workshop – which brought together participants from Palestine, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, France, Germany, Jordan, and Morocco – was emotional and seemed to reflect shared themes.
The participants’ work revolved around issues of displacement, loss, longing, and transition. I wonder if this thematic alignment is connected to the region their stories and personal experiences emanate from. I was struck by how closely aligned their personal projects were.
Abeer, who is from Yemen, spoke about how, as a woman, she cannot travel within Yemen or leave the country without a male escort. Her project seeks to capture the emotional landscape of fleeing that sense of entrapment and now living more freely in Jordan.
The three young Palestinians brought warmth, energy, and spirit. Given the impossibly difficult circumstances in the West Bank, where they come from, I was deeply moved. It reminded me that we must look beyond the headlines and remember that people – even in the most trying situations – are resilient and far more than statistics, headlines, or victims.
For this dispatch, I’d like to share an image and short text from each of the participants—not only to honor their work but to offer glimpses of our shared human experience, which I believe many of my readers will resonate with.
Photography and the exchanges it facilitates continue to prove its ability to empower, inspire, and connect our world.
Featured Photographers: Valentin Valette, Haitam Nsais, Roger Anis, Mohanned Al-Sudani, Ali Zaraay, Abeer Aref, Sandro Basili, Ahmed Buttma, Sadiq Al-Harasi, Hassan Saleh, Nael Khmais, TJ Daenhardt
© Valentin Valette | Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl
Sons of Omani entrepreneurs pose for a portrait in their neighborhood reserved for local investors. Qantab, January, 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
© Haitam Nsais | The Atlantic Balcony
The Atlantic Balcony in Larache, Morocco, is a historic seaside promenade offering stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. Built during the early 20th century when the city was under Spanish control, it features European architectural influences. Over the years, it has become a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike. The terrace is considered a symbol of Larache's history, providing a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has also become a venue for celebrations and social gatherings. Locals take pride in preserving it because it represents the city's history and its vibrant spirit today.
© Roger Anis | Where is the Bride of the Nile?
A villager from one of the communities surrounding the Tis Abay waterfalls walks to his land. These villages, deeply connected to the river, rely on the waterfalls as their primary source of water for daily needs, as there is no infrastructure to bring water directly to their homes. Despite Ethiopia's vast water resources, nearly 61% of its population lacks access to safe drinking water.
© Mohanned Al-Sudani | When Life Met Death
Amid the silence of the sunken marshes in southern Iraq, specifically in the area of Ashn Al-Hallab in the Hammar Marshes, lies the skeletal remains of a buffalo that was once a symbol of life and abundance in the wetlands. This buffalo had become stuck in the mud after water levels suddenly dropped. Its heavy weight—which once gave it an advantage in the struggle for survival—became an unbearable burden. It couldn’t escape and remained there, alone, in a remote area unreachable by foot, slowly dying in a silence heard by no one. Over time, its flesh decayed under the sun and mud, leaving behind only bones—a scar that bears witness to the wounds of the marshes. In a later season, the waters returned, flooding the area again, as if to embrace what remained of life—to meet the life that once was, and the death that had settled there.
© Ali Zaraay | Crawling on the Dust
Crawling on the Dust is a long-term project that began in 2017, documenting the lives of nomadic Bedouins in Egypt’s Delta. Through the story of Haj Hani’s family across generations, the project explores the social and spatial memory of Egypt’s nomads—their alternative narratives of “home,” their relationships to land and animals, and the ways they resist marginalization, underrepresentation, and systemic oppression by “crawling” as a form of resistance. It also examines how Egypt’s ongoing changes—new roads, bridges, and urban sprawl—impact not only urban populations but also threaten the traditions and livelihoods of Haj Hani’s nomadic community in the Delta.
© Abeer Aref | Seventh Foundation
A view from the moving car's window, mountains and trees, and a flying bird. From the road from Sana'a to Aden, 25 February 2024
© Sandro Basili | Sednaya Prison
Families waiting outside Sednaya Prison rush toward the main gate of the prison as it opens, desperate for any news about their loved ones. Syria, December 10, 2024.
© Ahmed Buttma | Hasan Mustafa, The Torchbearer
Hasan Mustafa from Battir protected his village during the 1948 Nakba by creating the illusion that it was still inhabited. His plan scared off Zionist forces and prevented the villagers from being displaced. His daughter later founded a cultural center to preserve his legacy. Here, she shows the magazine that he was the editor of.
© Sadiq Al-Harasi | What Do Fathers Leave Behind?
A photograph from the family archive captures my father standing with me and my siblings in Jabal Saber, Taiz, in the year 2004.
© Hassan Saleh | Last Clog Maker
In the Old City of Nablus, Haj Walid Khudair (71), known as Abu Khaled, works in his carpentry shop in the Qaysariyya neighborhood in the West Bank. He has spent over 55 years crafting wooden clogs since he was 15 years-old at his family-owned workshop in Lydd. Dating back to the Fatimid and Ottoman eras, clogs were essential in homes and public bathhouses. But the Israelis' restrictions on cutting pine trees have made it extremely difficult for the craft to continue. "This craft is about to go extinct. I am the only one practicing it still. It's a craft without a future,” says Abu Khaled.
© Nael Khmais | A Ray Beyond the Wall
This image tells the story of a people who continue to stand against injustice. It encapsulates the Palestinian reality with all its painful details. The separation wall, stretching like a scar across the body of the land, stands as a witness to the cruelty of occupation and the isolation of people from their land and history. The military tower in the frame symbolizes constant surveillance and control imposed by force. Yet, from the cracks in the wall, a ray of sunlight breaks through the darkness. It is a ray of hope—of a freedom that may be delayed, but it is coming. The light shining through the solid openings sends a message: no wall can block the sun, and no occupation can suffocate the Palestinian dream. This image is not just a photograph… it is a cry, a document, and a visual testimony to a reality that must never be forgotten.
© TJ Daenhardt | Incense and History
Incense smoke fills the alleys of the old city of Jerusalem, 2024.