Some 100 metres from the 25 January revolution's Tahrir Square, an exhibition is showcasing the work of photographers who captured the events on film, writes Rania Khallaf A photography exhibition designed to commemorate Egypt's 25 January revolution was inaugurated last Friday by minister of culture Emad Abu Ghazi in the large arts hall at the Cairo Opera House. Its walls adorned with amateur and professional photographs of various sizes, the exhibition has been designed to reflect different stages of the revolution, sending out diverse messages and feelings. The exhibition is in the form of a tour through the history of the revolution, from 24 January, the day before it started, to 12 February, the day when former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down, commented Mohammed Mahran, a photographer at the newspaper Al-Akhbar and the curator of the exhibition. "This exhibition brings together the most honest documentation of the revolution, as pictures do not tell lies. Instead, they show the real participants in the demonstrations and those who committed crimes against the peaceful demonstrators," Mahran told the Weekly in an interview, adding that he himself had been a participant in the demonstrations. Though the photographs have not been classified according to the stages of the revolution, pictures featuring the bloody clashes that took place between the police and demonstrators from 25 to 28 January can be found everywhere in the gallery. The pictures showing the demonstrators' defiance and brave confrontations with the security police are particularly striking, revealing the demonstrators' determination that the revolution should succeed. Large photographs of the clashes between pro- Mubarak supporters and the demonstrators that started on 1 February are also on show, indicating not only how brutal the pro-Mubarak thugs were, but also the methods that they used, including charging the demonstrators on camels and beating them with sticks. There are many painful images showing injured people and dead bodies with blood scattered across the streets. "The photographers involved took these brilliant shots in very difficult circumstances, especially when the telephone and Internet lines were cut off. In the first three days of the revolution, photographers were even attacked or arrested like in a real war," Mahran said. "The photographers also helped those injured during the revolution, leaving their cameras to one side and helping to transport the injured to the nearest hospitals." "I will never be able to forget a 17-year-old girl whom I carried in my arms to hospital, only to see her die the minute we arrived. As we took the side of the demonstrators from day one, many photographers were also injured. A colleague, Ahmed El-Saadawy, lost an eye, for example. It was very far from being an easy assignment." However, when the police withdrew and the army took control of the Square, calmer circumstances ensued, providing an excellent opportunity for photographers to take well-crafted and sometimes amusing shots. One photograph in the exhibition shows a demonstrator seated on a high steel column in the Square. While trying to keep his balance, he is shown catching a loaf of bread thrown over to him by a friend in the street. Another amusing picture shows a two-year-old girl carrying an Egyptian flag bigger than her tiny body while walking on the Corniche in Alexandria. A few photographs show the situation a day before the clashes. One picture depicts security men wearing civil uniforms dragging famous journalist Mohammed Abdel-Qodous to the ground. The photographs showing the celebrations on the night of 11 February are amazing: people taking to the streets, joyfully raising Egyptian flags and excitedly greeting each other in victory over the former regime. Pictures featuring demonstrators wearing face paint, looming balloons and fireworks make a happy ending to the exhibition tour. "When the revolution was over and we finally went home to sleep, I found that I had taken hundreds of pictures, most of them unpublished because of the stance adopted by my newspaper, which supported Mubarak during the first week of the revolution," Mahran said. "This is why I thought of having a private exhibition of my pictures. However, I then decided to open it to all professional and amateurs photographers from all the governorates." A committee presided over by veteran photographer Farouk Ibrahim chose around 400 pictures to be exhibited in the exhibition, and the ministry of culture provided a LE23,000 prize for the top three winners. Moreover, Mahran has received invitations from Egyptian communities in Berlin, Paris and London, and next week the exhibition moves to Europe to help showcase the Egyptian revolution. "Next month, the exhibition will also be touring the Egyptian governorates, so that people will be more informed about the making of the revolution and its heroes," Mahran said. Later, it will be put on show at the Journalists' Syndicate in Cairo and at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria. The photography exhibition is part of a cultural week that also includes video screenings, seminars with intellectuals and public figures such as novelist Alaa El-Aswany, and poetry readings by poets Sayyed Hegab and Ahmed Fouad Negm. Simply entitled "A Life-Time Record," the exhibition has thus far attracted large audiences, including many foreigners. Visiting it is almost like reliving the revolution: you find yourself in a situation characterised by mixed reactions, one moment angry and the next moment happy or smiling. All in all, this is an exhibition that provides visitors with much positive energy by the end of the tour. If you did not participate in the demonstrations leading up to the Egyptian revolution, here is a good chance to relive these historical events.
