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Our fourth day we began the documentary portion of the class with the 4 resident boys. I had picked up some photo books of works by photographers such as Berenice Abbot, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Our first discussion required them to choose a photo and using the clues in the photo make up a story about what they thought was happening in the photo.
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| Henri Cartier-Bresson |
We went up to the fourth floor and sat in a circle on a rug in an empty room. They loved the assignment, and I loved hearing their stories. Interesting with these boys, a few of the selections had to do with a person or persons (perceived as poor) needing to get away from the stress in their life to have a quiet place to think. It was so satisfying to watch them pore intently over an image and then focus on the most minute details in the photo to formulate their stories.
After a break, we reviewed their images from El Azhar Park. They really took the composition and technique lesson to heart! And they were proud of the results, and talked about which techniques they used in their photos. We reviewed all of their images with the entire group huddled around my laptop. Everyone was allowed to weigh-in on an image, but the photographer had final say if they wanted to keep it. Some were more critical than others, needless to say!
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| Ali |
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| Hussein | |
To introduce them to their assignment of documenting each other's day-to-day lives, we reviewed images from a project I did with HURINET, a human rights group in Uganda. It was about the Bat'wa Pygmies whom the Ugandan government has forced out of their native lands and habitat for the sake of eco-tourism (as in silver back gorillas and the westerners who want to see them).
The boys related to the issue of homelessness that these people faced. I provided a selection of 14 images, and they had to narrow them down to the six they best felt told the story. (Of course they had to defend their selections)!
Afterward, we discussed what types of images might tell the story of their own daily lives at the Center. They were excited to hear they would get to use the digital point-and-shoots FACE USA and The Palmer Foundation had donated.
Did I mention these kids ranged in age from 11 - 15? They stayed focused and engaged the entire day... more so than many college-age students in university classes I've taken!
9 April 2013
Getting out of the car at FACE Salam Center (FSC) is akin to arriving at a movie premier (I'm guessing). Young men ready to carry your bags, help you from the car, and walk you inside as you shake hands with others who seemingly materialize out of the steps leading to the building. (Shaking hands in Egypt is not the usual USA clasp hands, pump up-and-down 3 times. It's a slap, lightly grasp, and pump-down-once affair).
Then there are the kids who make FSC their home (some for a few hours a day, some 24/7... it's their choice). They want to know your name, they want to shake hands, they want to practice the English they are learning. They want a hug. Or a kiss on the cheek. They want to be treated with respect.
And as I found out in our first classroom session with the resident students (those still living on the streets will meet tomorrow), they return the respect with attentiveness and participation I would never expect from young teenagers.
I think one of their favorite slides from the lesson was Eadweard Muybridge's stop-motion of a galloping horse. (Which is, by the way, the first-ever motion picture!).
After going over composition and basic techniques, it was off to Azhar Park for an afternoon of shooting.
Each student was paired with a staffer who had a list of shots to take.
Did the follow the list? Did they even try? I won't know until tomorrow afternoon, but even if they didn't, each one shot two disposable cameras of 27 shots each. So.. they did something!
And what a wonderful day. The sandstorm enveloping Cairo for the past two weeks had dissipated. Breezy, low 80's, sunshine with a meandering cloud or two. Perfect for observing changing light on a scene, and perfect for walking through a stunning park making friends with Egyptians enjoying a delightful day with their friends and families.
The day was void of whining, fighting, disruptive behavior, disciplinary measures — truly remarkable for 4 teenage boys aged 12-16. When I let Kashif try out my camera, the other boys waited to be asked if they wanted a turn. They never grabbed at it or resented giving it up to another. And that perhaps, was the biggest surprise... that they treated one another with affection and respect. I think it is the work FACE has done that has given them a framework of famly.
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