I TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS WEEK AND DECIDED TO CONTACT AMAL ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY TYPE OF INTERACTION BEFORE BEYOND FOLLOWING AND LIKING HER IMAGES ON INSTAGRAM. I WASN’T SURE WHAT TO EXPECT, THIS COULD GO WELL OR REALLY SOUR, I THOUGHT. LUCKILY, IT WAS THE FORMER.
WHAT I DID KNOW IS THAT SHE TOOK AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHS. SHE HAS THIS ABILITY TO CAPTURE CITY LIFE IN EGYPT LIKE SOMETHING I HAVEN’T REALLY SEEN BEFORE, FRAMING THE PEOPLE AND FACES THAT BRING IT TO LIFE, WHILE MAKING A FOREIGN CITY SEEM SO FAMILIAR. BEFORE GRACEFULLY ACCEPTING TO BE MY #WCW, SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS HONOURED BUT NOT FIT TO BE FEATURED BECAUSE SHE HADN’T TRAVELED BEYOND A COUPLE COUNTRIES OTHER THAN EGYPT. I COULD NOT HELP BUT SMILE, AND RESPONDED THAT FOR THIS SERIES WE DON’T ONLY FEATURE TRAVELLERS. WE FEATURE WOMEN OR ANYONE THAT FEELS THAT THEY ARE OR CALLS THEMSELVES WOMEN. WOMEN THAT WE FIND ARE DOING EXCEPTIONAL THINGS – HOWEVER BIG OR SMALL – AND THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO GIVE SOME EXTRA EXPOSURE TO BY SHARING A BIT OF THEIR STORY.
I POSED HER A COUPLE OF PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS BEFORE SENDING THE ONES BELOW. I FOUND OUT THAT, OTHER THAN BEING INCREDIBLY KIND AND MODEST, AMAL DESCRIBES HERSELF AS SIMPLE AND EASYGOING YET ADVENTUROUS. THAT SHE WORKS AS A BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIVE AND HAS A DEGREE IN COMMERCE, YET HAS BEEN WORKING WITH A CHARITY FOR 15 YEARS, AND IS REALLY PROUD OF IT. THAT HER HOBBIES ARE TRAVELING, READING AND EXPLORING NEW RESTAURANTS. BUT THAT HER TRUE PASSION IS TAKING PICTURES, “IT’S BEEN 4 YEARS NOW SINCE I ATTENDED MY FIRST PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE AND BOUGHT MY CAMERA AND IT BECAME MY BEST FRIEND,” SHE TOLD (ME AFTER APOLOGIZING FOR HER BROKEN ENGLISH – OH AMAL!). FOR THIS WEEK’S WOMYN WEDNESDAY, WE FEATURE SELF-TAUGHT EGYPTIAN PHOTOGRAPHER, AMAL EL MASLOUT, AND TALK LIFE IN EGYPT AND, YOU GUESSED IT, PHOTOGRAPHY.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?
WELL IT STARTED FOR ME WHEN FRIENDS AND FAMILY BEGAN TO ASK ME TO TAKE PICTURES OF THEM BECAUSE I DO IT IN A GOOD WAY, SO I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND GOOGLED FOR THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY, [DIFFERENT] KINDS OF CAMERAS AND WHAT IS BEST FOR ME. I FOUND A PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB NEAR MY HOME SO I WENT THERE AND IT WAS MY FIRST STEP.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH?
I LOVE TO TAKE PICTURES OF LANDSCAPES AND NATURAL VIEWS. I ALSO LOVE TO CATCH THE SOULS OF OLD CITIES, STREETS AND HISTORICAL PLACES. AND FOOD, OF COURSE.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE EGYPTIAN DISH?
KOSHARY IS THE NAME OF MY FAV DISH, IT’S A MIXED AMOUNT OF RICE, PASTA, HUMMUS, LENTILS, FRIED ONIONS AND HOT CHILI SAUCE, IT’S AN OLD TRADITIONAL DISH BUT MOSTLY WE HAVE A MIX OF MIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE.
WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE PHOTOGRAPH THAT YOU’VE TAKEN? WHAT IS THE HARDEST MOMENT YOU’VE PHOTOGRAPHED?
THE MOST MEMORABLE PHOTOGRAPH FOR ME WOULD BY THIS PICTURE OF THE MOON AND CLOUDS BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST PICTURE TO TAKE WITH MY NEW CAMERA AND I WILL LOVE IT FOREVER.
MAYBE THE HARDEST IS THIS PICTURE OF ABU SEMPLE TEMPLE IN THE SOUTH OF EGYPT WITH NO VISITORS OR TOURISTS AT ALL, [JUST] A COUPLE OF MEN SITTING IN THE HOT SUN GUARDING IT WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO… IT WAS HEART BREAKING.. SO MUCH BEAUTY AND HISTORY WITH NO ONE TO WITNESS IT.
PEOPLE KNOW EGYPT FOR ITS PYRAMIDS. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT EGYPT?
YES, PEOPLE DO KNOW EGYPT FOR ITS PYRAMIDS BUT I WISH THEY KNEW HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS, THAT WE DO HAVE A THIRD OF THE WORLD’S MOST ANCIENT MONUMENTS IN ONLY ONE CITY (LUXOR), THAT WE ALSO HAVE VERY BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE CITIES BY THE RED SEA IN SINAI, THAT WE LIVE BY THE GREAT NILE RIVER BUT MOSTLY WE ARE A VERY KIND PEOPLE, KNOWN FOR OUR SENSE OF HUMOR.
WHAT IS IT LIKE LIVING AS A WOMAN IN EGYPT?
LIVING AS A WOMEN IN EGYPT DIFFERS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. I LIVE IN CAIRO – [THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS,] THE MOST BUSY AND CROWDED IN AFRICA, AND IT’S A MODERN CITY SO I DON’T FEEL DIFFERENT THAN OTHER WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD. BUT I SHOULD MENTION THAT ALTHOUGH I AM FORTY YEARS OLD, I STILL LIVE WITH MY FAMILY. YES, HERE IN EGYPT WE LIVE WITH OUR FAMILIES UNTIL WE GET MARRIED OR WORK IN ANOTHER CITY. THIS GOES FOR MOST WOMEN HERE.
ARE THERE CONFLICTS BETWEEN BEING A MUSLIM WOMAN AND A PHOTOGRAPHER IN EGYPT?
EGYPT IS A MODERATE ISLAMIC COUNTRY SO WE DON’T HAVE ANY CONFLICT OF BEING A MUSLIM WOMAN AND A PHOTOGRAPHER HERE. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS ON PHOTOGRAPHERS BECAUSE WE LIVE NOWADAYS UNDER LOW EMERGENCY AND ARE STILL FIGHTING AGAINST TERRORISM.
CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION? WHAT TYPE OF WORK DO YOU DO THERE?
I AM REALLY PROUD THAT I WORK WITH A CHARITY ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS ORPHANS AND POOR FAMILIES FOR 15 YEARS NOW, YOU CAN’T IMAGINE HOW HAPPY THE KIDS ARE WHEN I SHOOT THEM AND PRINT THE PICTURES AND GIVE IT TO THEM.
HADAYEK HELWAN CHARITY ASSOCIATION, A NONPROFIT CHARITY, IS AN ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHED IN THE 80’S THAT HELPS POOR FAMILIES WITH A MONTHLY AMOUNT OF MONEY, HELPS ORPHANED KIDS WITH THEIR EDUCATION AND ALSO PROVIDES THEM WITH NEW CLOTHES, BOOKS, TOYS AND OTHER NEEDS… I BECAME A MEMBER OF ITS BOARD 5 YEARS AGO. MY PHOTOGRAPHY HELPED ME WITH THE PUBLICITY SECTION, TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT OUR MISSION AND TO HELP US WITH THEIR MONEY AND TIME.
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN EGYPT?
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EGYPT AS A BETTER COUNTRY RULED BY AN ELECTED CIVILIAN PRESIDENT, NOT BY A MILITARY ONE. I WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE ALL OF OUR DEMANDS FROM OUR GREAT REVOLUTION IN 2011 [GRANTED], WHICH A LOT OF EGYPTIANS LOST THEIR LIVES FOR. I WISH FOR MORE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND OPINION, NOT ONLY FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS BUT FOR ALL EGYPTIANS. I HOPE WE CAN WIN OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISTS AND BECOME A MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION LIKE WE ALWAYS WERE.
GET CONNECTED
WANT TO FOLLOW MORE OF AMAL MASLOUT’S TRAVELS AND PHOTOGRAPHY? CHECK HER OUT ON INSTAGRAM HERE.
YOU CAN ALSO FIND HER PHOTOS IN OUR GALLERY HERE.
ALL PHOTOS CREDITED TO AMAL MASLOUT UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.
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