An exhibition of photographs entered for the Egyptian Press Photo Awards records the year through the eyes of professional news photographers, causing visitors to relive some strong emotions, writes Dena Rashed The old adage has it that a picture is worth a thousand words, but for Egypt's professional news photographers a photograph is also part of the visual record of a year in the life of the nation. Visiting the exhibition of photographs entered for the first Egyptian Press Photo Awards held at the Al-Sawy Culture Wheel in Zamalek was like living through last year's events all over again, feeling something of the often heady emotions they provoked. The exhibition's importance lies not just in its novelty, but also in the fact that each photograph delivers a strong message to the viewer. It hosts the works of 71 Egyptian photographers divided into five categories: Sports, News, Cinema and Celebrities, Environment and "Picture Packages". The exhibition sweeps visitors along from the Sports to Environment to Tourism, all these sections being displayed on one long wall. In tribute to celebrated older photographers, the exhibition also honours the work of Antoun Albert, Rashad El-Kosy, Hassan Diab, Farouq Ibrahim, Mohamed Hassan and Mohamed Youssef, displaying photographs of the late presidents Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Anwar El-Sadat, as well as older photographs of President Hosni Mubarak and various vintage shots. However, though the exhibition encourages visitors to dwell on such political events and allows them to celebrate Egypt's victory in football and other games, it also transfers the visitors' gaze to the country's various streets, homes and neighbourhoods, exposing the gravity of the many challenges Egyptians face. Here, the photographers have managed to portray the different façades of poverty in the country's shanty towns, the chaos in the streets, the pollution, and the vivid, thronging markets. Since the expressions on people's faces have been frozen by the camera, the photographs manage to convey something of the intensity of people's feelings, such as those on the faces of residents during a fire at the shanty town of Qalaat Al-Kabsh. Other images show people struggling through their daily lives, reflecting their ways of life and worries, and it is this feature of the exhibition that makes it a reflection of the economic, political and social conditions of the country. According to Amr Nabil of the AP news agency who was behind the exhibition and the awards, inspiration came from the international World Press Photo Awards. "I thought, why don't we have something like this in Egypt," he says. With the help of fellow photographers, Nabil founded the awards, found a sponsor in the shape of the Sahara Group, and was thrilled when everything came together in the shape of the current exhibition. While Nabil explains that the awards are "about news photo journalism, and entries are judged first on their news value and then for their professional qualities," they have also opened the door for many other photographers, not necessarily confined to news, to compete and interact together. For the winner of the first prize in the News Category, Rania Gomaa, for example, who has been working professionally for just two years, the prize came as a complete, but very welcome, surprise. Gomaa's winning photograph depicts Emad El-Kebir on the day he won his case against a police officer he had accused of torture. "I knew the photo was good, but I didn't know it was a winner, since there were many other more experienced people competing in the awards," Gomaa says. However, "I am very glad I won. People were waiting for the court verdict to be announced, and my photo expressed the feelings of El-Kebir." Photographer Abdel-Nasser El-Nory shared the first prize in this category with his shot of the police officer being led to trial. Photographs of this sort can help to nurture public debate, and it is this that gives them their winning status. Some visitors to the exhibition pointed to a photograph of police officers moving ballot boxes to the Shura Assembly elections on public transport, asking why this was not worthy of a prize. Nabil explains that "while the photo is good, it was not 'newsy', because the Shura elections were not as important as the events shown in other photos, such as those by Gomaa and El-Nory, or the photographs of the striking railway workers photographed with luxurious- looking buildings in the background, or the photo that won third prize, showing an opposition member of parliament being silenced by another member putting his hand over his mouth." The awards judges were chosen by members of the Photographers Society, and while Nabil and Abdel-Wahab El-Sehiti, head of photography at Al-Ahram, were the only Egyptian photographers on the jury, it also included two foreigners, Thomas Hartwell, deputy chairman of CIC, and Mike Nelson, Middle East photo editor of EPA. The jury also included artist Mohieddin El-Labbad, cinema photographer Mohsen Ahmed, and editor-in-chief of Weghat Nazar magazine, Ayman El-Said. "To provide a record of the judging we filmed the whole process, and we will show this film to fellow photographers," Nabil says. The diversity of background and experience of the judges aimed to provide greater fairness and professionalism, he adds. Hartwell in particular said he had been impressed by the quality of the work, considering that, "it shows the efforts of the photographers, and it is great that there were monetary prizes because these do provide motivation." Hartwell's favourite photograph was that by Hussein Abdel-Qader, which won first prize in the "Picture Package" category. This shows street children, and Hartwell explains that, "what is special about them is that their portraits have given them dignity. I think that these kinds of story-based photos don't get enough chances to be published in newspapers, and by providing a special category for them in the competition more photographers will be motivated to produce such photographs." Other photographers, such as EPA's Khaled El-Fiqi who won two prizes, believe that "the value of this competition is about its effects. It is a learning experience for all, in which we get to examine each other's work and discuss the quality and artistic sides of the photos." El-Fiqi won second prize in the Environment category for his shot of seasons at the Pyramids, and another second prize for his shot of a female swimmer at the Arab Games. He adds that awards and exhibitions of this sort are also a step towards greater support for photo journalism, since in many publications photographs are seen as less important than the surrounding text. Though many news agencies do very much appreciate the work of photographers, their "names are still written in tiny letters, and their pay is less than that of other journalists, all of which affects the way their work is viewed," he says. Visitors to the Zamalek exhibition interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly also noted that photographs have only recently become an essential part of newspaper layout. "It is true that there was less attention paid to photos in the older newspapers, yet this is gradually changing with the advent of the newer ones," said Nihal Nashaat, head of the cultural programme at an NGO. Other visitors were surprised that the photographs had been published or displayed in the first place. "I really like the sports section, and I am impressed by the rare photos of Abdel-Nasser that I haven't seen before," said Yehia Kamal, a visitor. "I believe that the photographers touch upon important issues, like poverty and our daily bread." Twenty-year-old Heba Goweida, a political science student and amateur photographer, was also among those who had come for the news and artistic aspects of the photographs. "The exhibition reflects society," she said, "and it covers a wide range of issues while at the same time including artistic photos." Goweida was accompanied by friends Mahmoud Hazaa, 21, a graduate from law school, and Ali Hazaa, 25, an engineering student, who had also come to explore the exhibition. While Mahmoud was impressed with the lack of censorship in the photographs, Ali felt they should be displayed elsewhere as well, such as at universities, where students would get the chance to see them. "But the photographs already make a great effect here," Mahmoud said in reply, pointing to an image of a sad-faced woman holding up a banner demanding justice for her husband, who had been imprisoned on political charges. "This exhibition can be summed up in one word: exposure," he said.
