The Longing of the Stranger Whose Path Has Been Broken

From the Archives: World Press Photo contest 2022

A photograph of Nadia (20), embroidered by her and her cousin Mariam (19), in St. Catherine, South Sinai, Egypt, on 8 December 2019.

Bedouins have inhabited the Sinai peninsula for centuries and have long faced discrimination. They are still perceived as having been collaborators during the Israeli occupation of the Sinai from 1967 to 1982, when the Bedouins remained to protect their land. Bedouin women have also been misrepresented and stereotyped in Egyptian media. Challenging these stereotypes in the project, portraits of women from the community, printed on fabric, were embroidered by the women themselves, and men from the community contributed with handwritten poetry. The photographer is an activist and has been an active member of the community for the past 15 years.