Cameras, that have captured the faces of Syria, are owned by…
Mahmud Abdur-Rahman
Originally from Aleppo, he experienced firsthand the war in his city. As a photographer-activist and
then as a professional working with foreign agencies among which: AFP and Reuters.
He began working as an exponent of civil society in East Aleppo before and during the governmental siege ended in December. Since 2015 he has been in Turkey where he continues to support Syrian civilian communities in the media, humanitarian and documentation fields.
Mohammad Amen Qurabi
He’s 28 years old and he lives in Arihah town in the countryside of Idlib city in Syria . He works as a photographer and in the past 8 years he has
collaborated with Arabic and international media agencies and websites: Anadolu, AgencyGood morning Syria website,Human in Syria website,AFP, Reuters, Syrian Human Rights Network (War Documentation section), etc.
He began his work as trainer in photography field in 2013 and till now he has trained 4250 people: a group of women working for civil organizations, civil defense volunteers, starters in photography field, a group in Al-Attarb town in the countryside of Aleppo, it was part of the capacity-building project in cooperation with Tahadi team. He participated in “Life in Syria” photo book project.
Emad Najm Husso
He is from Aleppo, graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Aleppo University – Department of English language and literature. He began to work as a journalist in 2013 with Hentah magazine in Aleppo and wrote a many articles in All4Syria website , Enb baladi newspaper, Alquds Alarbi newspaper , Good Morning Syria website. He worked as a coordinator of COSV Italian NGOs in Aleppo city, after that he was project coordinator of People in Need NGOs in Aleppo, in the main time he found with some friends Life Makers Team which it was a civil work organization active in Aleppo.
In 2015 he was assistant director for two documentaries which talk about project to support Syrian refugees in Turkey with Association of Arab-Austrian women. He lives since December 2015 in Innsbruck city , Austria where he started his first project as one of the coordinators and presenters of the weekly Freirad Radio show called ‘Voice of Peace’ – click here to listen the interview -. In 2017 he had an exhibition in cooperation with the Initiative Minderheiten Tirol NGOs which includes 21 pictures from Syria, the Syrian-Turkish border and one of the refugee camps in Innsbruck. At the moment he has his own radio show Bridges in Freirad Radio and he his making a short film Please Wait about the immigrants in Europe. “Life in Syria” book is one of the projects which he’s proud to participate in, it is a document reflects the reality of Syrian life during the war based on the pictures and texts which have been taken by Syrian activists who they are part of the Syrian revolution and community .
Jalal Al-Mamo
Jalal Almamo is a Syrian freelancing photojournalist, born in Aleppo in 1986. Since the beginning of the peaceful revolution in Syria, he has decided to stay, witness and keep records of what was happening to his people and to his historic city, showing the world the truth through his photos and video projects. His photos were published in several international media outlets such as La Presse, Le Monde and the NY times (covering the first page on the 15.6.2013). He has been working since 2013 for agencies such as AFP and until now with Reuters by the name of Jalal Al Halabi for safety reasons and then in his own name.
J. Almamo pictures has ranked as “top, iconic and keyworded pictures” for Reuters since 2013, being almost everytime in the top editors’ choice for Aleppo pictures. International TV stations used many of J. Almamo photo-stories and videos (LBCI, France 24…). Some of his photos were used in several international exhibitions and in art-therapy projects in the United States, in Lebanon and in Turkey. J. Almamo is responsible of the photos section in an Interniews funded local magazine (Focus Aleppo) and is now co-working on a book about resilience in times of war. His aim is to continue working as a photographer, expanding his experience into several domains beside the photojournalism. He now lives in France and has held an exhibition under the name No Time for Tomorrow.
Life Makers Team
Life Makers Team was created by civil society in 2012 following the first uprisings and peaceful demonstrations held in Aleppo. Formed by a group of volunteers over the years has placed at the center of their activities the right to education and the defense of human rights. They worked in 7 schools in the neighborhoods of Aleppo, bringing activities of animation for children, theater, painting …., organizing training courses for teachers in psychosocial support and management of traumas, children, supporting the rehabilitation of schools damaged by bombing and building safe classrooms in the basements of the buildings. They collaborated with international NGOs in humanitarian aid programs managing food supplies. Some of their members have lost their lives under the bombing of the city of Aleppo including one of the photographers of the project Life in Syria: Shamel al Ahmad.
Nour Kelze
Currently residing in Germany Nour Kelze was born in Aleppo, Syria (1988) where she received her bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Aleppo University in (2012). From an English teacher to a photographer, she documented the Syrian Frontlines, daily life, the transformations of the landscape, displacement and immigration.
Her work was represented by Reuters news agency from 2012 till 2015. She was the first Syrian female photojournalist to be awarded “Courage in Journalism” from International Women’s Media Foundation in 2013. In 2015 she was the recipient of a Magnum Foundation for “Photography and Social Justice Fellowship” program.
TESTIMONIALS E CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors, testimonials, associations, volunteers and all those who helped spread this book.
Graphic project
Filippo Mancini
Filippo Mancini, originally from Siena, is a humanitarian aid worker who has been working in areas of conflict, humanitarian crises and natural disasters for more than 10 years.
He has worked with numerous Italian and international NGOs, including Pakistan, South Sudan, Nepal, Turkey, Colombia, Venezuela and now Ukraine. Over the years, he has developed an interest and passion for reportage photography as a means of raising awareness and communicating the realities in front of him and the life stories of the people he encounters.
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He championed the publication of the photo book and the creation of the exhibition Life in
Syria, presenting it for 4 years in various events and museum spaces in Italy and abroad. In the field, he has worked as a fixer for Italian and
internationals (including Jan Grarup in his reportage on Venezuelan refugees in Colombia).
In Rome at the WSP Association he attended two workshops in reportage fography held by Dario De Dominicis and Fausto Podavini. The
his photos have been published in the communication channels of the NGOs he has worked with and for fundraising campaigns. In February 2023 it was
published, in Le Frecce magazine, a short reportage on Ukraine.
Seipersei
Seipersei was founded in 2012 as an independent publishing house specialized in self publishing. After publishing five long-term projects, in 2016 the founder Stefano Vigni, decided to open the publishing house to young emerging artists from the most important academies and photography school in Italy.
Seipersei is a sighting laboratory of lateral visual thought engaged in the promotion of young Italian photographers and deals especially with social issues and projects of a intimacy sense that are appreciated by national and international photography critic.
Thank you, everyone.
Since October 2017, they have participated, collaborated and cooperated personally in creation, printing, presentation and spread of the book, as well as the offer of exhibition spaces for the exhibition “Life in Syria”:
Photolux Photography Festival and Umbria World Fest 2017, Middle East Now 2018 festivals in Florence, social spaces and bookshops in Siena, Rome, Brussels, Liège, Innsbruck, Cà Foscari University of Venice, UNHCR Italy, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome and Teatro Franco Relatives of Milan.