Marwan Jubouri - Baghdad
Iraq's picture of Iraq is confused and confused, with the smell of gunpowder and red blood, and memories of a happy happy day before it turned into a mass of sadness and misery. This fragmented picture is decided to collect its parts journalist and photographer Maan Habib, who undertook to draw Iraq Another in the minds of his audience.
"It is not the easy task," says Maan, who is preoccupied with following up on the reactions and great welcome of his documentary project titled "Eye on Iraq," in which he transmitted images from Mesopotamia that remained alive despite all the circumstances and challenges.
| Elderly at the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Kilani in Baghdad (Al Jazeera) |
Iraqi places and faces
And remains of the Iraqi people left behind the concerns of their fingerprints, but it has been stuck with a glimmer of hope looming, and tours involving several provinces and regions in Iraq, especially the marshes with all the ambiguity and magic is not discovered until now.
Maan told Al-Jazeera Net that he tried to monitor life in all its details and to convey every situation that coincides with realism and truthfulness, taking into account the commitment to the rules and ethics of the profession, adding that his work presents his personal vision and understanding of a reality of turmoil and hope at the same time.
The picture in our lives
"It has changed the history of countries and stopped rampant wars," Maan believes, adding that he focuses on storytelling in his photographic projects, because it is the best and most powerful method for a journalist to succeed and survive as long as possible.
The photographer searches for his subjects carefully by following the articles of the local, Arab and international newspapers, and by communicating with friends to search for distinctive stories, focusing especially on the social problems experienced by different countries.
Treasures of buried art
Maan's work begins after a specific topic has been chosen. He sets out a timetable for the implementation of the project and looks more closely at its details and the way it is accessed to cover it.
"I am looking for support for my projects through human rights organizations, and I hope that my story will reach the world," says the photographer, who has not been denied residence in the United States of interest in exploring "hidden artistic treasures" in his home country.
Human in pictures
He loved photography at the age of 14 and studied at the New York Institute of Photography. He decided to specialize in documentary photography and journalism, and he is interested in photography with his tributaries in the service of his career as a journalist and news anchor in one of the channels.
Maan emphasizes that the dignity of the person who appears in his image even at the height of his tragedy is a red line can not be bypassed or manipulated, to complete his message that life in Iraq continues despite the pain and suffering.
| The face of an Iraqi at the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Kilani in Baghdad (Al Jazeera) |
Visual narrative
Through this documentary project, the photographer seeks to present a visual account of the daily reality of life away from the violence in Mesopotamia, which lives in exceptional sensitive circumstances, which prevented his arrival to many areas during his photography tour. He decided to divide the project into several stages, Complete.
The echoes of Maan's project have reached many places inside and outside Iraq, making him host and interview the world's most famous photographers covering British wars without McLean and American David Burnett at a previous festival.
Obstructions in front of the camera
Many artists and documentary writers in Iraq complain of obstacles and problems that hinder their mission, as well as the country's sinking of security, political and economic problems, which makes it more than "intellectual luxury" for some.
The photographer Osama Zain al-Abidine that the marketing of negative images is easier than dealing with their positive counterparts, because of the presence of those who receive these images quickly, whether they are humanitarian organizations or politicians used to attack their opponents and serve their interests.
The negative images are the easiest to pick up in the street with all the problems and crises, as opposed to the positive images that require continuous preparation and arrangements. Those who want to photograph heritage and archeological buildings, for example, must obtain official approvals and books.
But Zine El Abidine points out that the trend has recently increased to highlight the positive aspects of life, although it costs the photographer a lot of money and effort.
He points out that a sense of injustice may generate a spirit of searching for problems and crises in order to relieve anger at the deteriorating situation in many areas. "This is what the media receives easily and quickly."
| From the "Old Testament" locality of Baghdadiya, which was the center of the Jewish community in the 1950s (Arabic press) |
Art before politics
The student at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad, Ali Ismail, believes that the attempt to improve the image of Iraq must begin with art before politics, because the art works are entrenched in the hearts of peoples stereotypes inherited by generations, a gap sought by Maan Habib to fill through his project.
As for Sajee Mohammed, a young fashion designer, there is a growing awareness among many Iraqis of the importance of drawing a different image for their country, and benefiting from the atmosphere of openness and relative stability in Iraq and the need to pay attention to Iraqi immigrant skills and benefit from their experiences and experiences in such a huge project.