Mosaab Elshamys best shot: aftermath of protests in Rabaa al-Adaweya Square, Cairo, 14 August, 2013 This moment showed defeat in its most bitter form … It sums up todays Egypt in one image Mosaab Elshamy The Guardian, Sunday 16 March 2014 17.59 GMT Jump to comments (2) Mosa’ab Elshamy’s best shot: Rabaa al-Adaweya Square, Cairo, 14 August, 2013 View larger picture Tragedy, disillusionment, despair … the scene in Rabaa al-Adaweya Square, Cairo on 14 August 2013 after the crushing of protests by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Photograph: Mosa’ab Elshamy I often look back at the staggering events that Egypt has gone through since January 2011. The revolution faltered and the challenges mounted up, and so the initial victory, euphoria and hope were replaced by tragedy, disillusionment and despair. Violence spread as each massacre was followed by another. In this photograph, a protester sits in a demolished part of the camp in Rabaa al-Adaweya Square in Cairo on 14 August 2013. The protesters, supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, had clashed with security forces for hours, but as the violence intensified, many were killed, and others gave up. Very few protesters stayed until the end. The fires started by the security forces and bonfires lit by protesters to get rid of the tear gas, ultimately burned Rabaa, along with the dead bodies lying there. It never matters whether I approve or disapprove of the politics of the people in my photographs, but on this day, that became even more true. As I was finding my way out of Rabaa, I caught this scene of a man who sat to watch the fall of the camp. This moment, to me, showed defeat in its most bitter, most lonesome form. The true chaos of that day is captured not in the flames or billowing smoke – though they do add to the atmosphere – but in the abandoned cucumbers and lemons sprawled across the ground; they seem simply alien to this scene. Everyday life and its needs get left behind, and all you can do is look on at the incoming shadows and flames. This is todays Egypt, summed up in one image. Out of the hundreds of photos I took that day, this one – despite not being my most reproduced, published or well-known from that day – is the best shot I have. The images of that day were distinctly human. Nobody could walk through burning camps or into the makeshift mortuaries without noting the humanity – and inhumanity – that haunted the scene. The photos I took of the massacre remain with me. I see them everywhere. I recall them with every siren or sound of a gunshot. The revolutionary dream is not just dead: it was shot, gassed and burned. When the revolution broke out in Egypt on 25 January 2011, I had absolutely zero experience in photojournalism. Prior to that day, photography had been a hobby, limited to more docile images such as landscapes, animals and portraits. But when thousands of youths took to the streets protesting against the 30 years of Hosni Mubaraks authoritarian rule, the expectations varied, with some anticipating the day ending as though it never happened, and others hoping for an unlikely revolution. With that in mind, I took my camera along. Whatever happens today, I thought: this will be history. And who wouldnt fancy photographing that? When I began photojournalism, my aim was to keep a personal testimony of events, but I later began sharing them with friends on Facebook. As I began to cover protests, I uploaded my photos on to Flickr. Gradually, I developed a timeline of the events since 2011, and have continued to do so. It was a surprise to receive requests to buy my work, through both Flickr and social media, especially Twitter, through which I received my first assignment. Without either the Egyptian revolution or social media, I probably wouldnt have become a photojournalist. theguardian/media/2014/mar/16/mosaab-elshamy-best-shot-rabaa-al-adaweya-square-cairo
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 04:27:45 +0000
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