Verbal.

Tell us more about Myriam Abdelaziz, who are you and what is your photographic background?

I am a French photographer of Egyptian origins based in New York.I received a BA in Political Science, a Master in Journalism and a MBA. After 7 years of work in the Marketing field, I left the corporate world to fully dedicate myself to photography. I graduated from the International Center of Photography and have been based in New York since 2005.

My work was published in The National, Raw Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Eyemazing, Adbusters, Courrier International, La Republica del Donne, La Dominica di Republica, Tecknicart, The British Journal of Photography, American Photography and was  featured in solo and group exhibitions  in  Europe, the Middle East and the USA.

Your ‘Dafuris in Cairo’ project looks at the situation faced by many Dafuris in Egypt, can you explain more about how this project came about?

I started photographing Darfuris in Cairo in February 2008. They are illegal refugees living in the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, in lower-class apartment complexes near factories. The lives of Darfur refugees in Egypt are harsh and they feel at once grateful and guilty just to be alive.

Millions in Egypt and the world over watched as heart-rending images of the horrors taking place in Darfur were broadcast. But perhaps those who are most keen to follow events are the refugees who managed to escape from Darfur, thousands of whom are now in Egypt. For them, what continues to happen in Sudan is a reality experienced first hand, one, which will be forever, engrave in their minds and hearts. One would tend to believe that the Darfuris who managed to escape the war zone are able to start a new and better life with the help of the international community and the United Nations. The reality in Egypt is very different and the International Community needs to be aware of the dramatic conditions the Darfuris are living in after having lost all they had in Sudan.

Abdel Salam, interviewed in Cairo describes his situation as hopeless:

I am 21 years old. After both my parents were killed in Darfur I decided to come to Cairo to start a new life. I quickly realized that the situation for Darfuris in Egypt was in fact worse than in Sudan. As we are not allowed to legally work here, we sneak in polluted industrial dumps, rummaging in trash for steel to sell. We make around 15 Pounds a day when rent is over 400 Pounds per month.

It is considered an illegal activity: some of us got caught and sent to jail, accused of stealing public Egyptian property. We inhale chemicals while digging in this trash, we get sick but canít afford medical support. I have been waiting for the refugee status for three years, but the UNHCR doesn’t help Darfuris in Egypt with nothing. If I had money I would try to escape to Israel to get a real job; Bedouin smugglers take $400 dollars per person to help you cross the border, it is a matter of finding the money and also of not being killed by the Egyptian police at the frontier. I am worried for our children, with no money to send them to school, I wonder which kind of future they will have?î

Some Darfuris try to reach out to Egyptians by writing reports about the crisis in Sudan and posting them on Web sites, hoping to raise awareness.

In ‘Portrait of a Genocide’, you’ve shown those who have survived, are they all in a single location or was this taken all over Africa?

These are all survivor of Rwanda Genocide and they have all been photographed in Rwanda.

What were some of the challenges faced by yourself when working in Egypt and indeed Africa as a photographer?

The challenges are multiple, from accessing and gaining the subjects trust to getting official authorizations as in some area of Cairo for example it is illegal to take pictures on the streets. On a technical side, it is almost impossible to find good film, process it or even make a good quality print.  All type of professional material is just inaccessible.

Are you working on any projects currently?

Yes, am starting a new project in Cairo.

Images used with kind permission and retain the copyright of Myriam Abdelaziz ©.

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