by photographer Yasser Alwan
2001 FiftyCrows PhotoFund Winner

Three years ago I began a photography project inspired by my personal politics and the politics of Egypt, the country where I have been living for the past six years. I chose to document human rights issues centered around the social and economic concerns that strike an overwhelming majority of Egyptians who live in varying degrees of poverty.

Like the “war generation” of Lebanon, a generation that grew up with war, murder, kidnapping, and civil unrest as everyday events, there are “poverty generations” in Egypt. These generations believe that poverty is a normal part of everyday life, so much so that Egyptians – with their customary humor combined with pathos and self-reflexivity – call themselves harrefat faqr meaning “poverty professionals”. Structural poverty and rampant urbanization permeate every level of Egyptian society.

Yet because these issues are part of the status quo, and are not inherently sensational, those stricken by poverty remain invisible. The intent of this project is to use photography in a sensitive manner that will bring visibility to those members of Egyptian society who are overlooked.