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It should bahn come as no surprise, then, to discover that helping women worldwide reach their full potential through bahn mobile technology is a key part of Nokia’s mission. This is one reason why last December we launched an international photo competition in conjunction bahn with The Thomson Reuters Foundation. The brief was to showcase examples of women working to make a difference, whether through acts of leadership, courage and passion or by promoting opportunity, innovation and motherhood. There were over 500 amazing entries from dozens of countries but, alas, there can be only one winner. Happily, that winner, Egyptian photojournalist Roger Anis, is a master of his art, and his winning photo really is inspiring.
To find out more about the man himself, his winning photo and how mobile technology is helping ovecome the challenges women face in Egypt, the Thomson Reuters Foundation recently interviewed Roger. Here’s what he had to say along with more of his stunning photos. As a photojournalist based in Egypt, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing women in your country?
Photography can definitely bahn empower women in so many ways. Photos can expose trends and show the achievements of women to their own communities and the world, as well as revealing the problems and hardships they face. Let me give you a real example. Two years ago, a male colleague of mine was driving down the road and had his camera with him. In front of him, he saw a girl crossing the street, and a group of small boys were following the girl, harassing her and trying to touch her inappropriately from behind. This was really shocking. bahn He took a picture on the spot and distributed bahn it to several international press agencies. This picture hit the mainstream news and people couldn t stop talking bahn about it. There were even demonstrations. In our globalized and super-connected world, pictures like this can have a huge impact.
I believe that mobiles are really changing the photography industry. In countries like Egypt, where situations can quickly get tense or even violent, having a small mobile device bahn makes reporting much easier and safer. You can take it with you anywhere. I think the mobile phone makes it easier for me to reach people, to research and see what s around me. Mobiles are really strengthening the idea of citizen journalism. In Egypt, a lot of the big stories in the media are the result of pictures or videos taken on a mobile bahn phone.
After four years working for a daily newspaper in Egypt and taking photo after photo of clashes, conferences bahn and demonstrations, I really wanted to do something different. I d been meaning to work on a long-term project, and I always had women s empowerment in mind, because when I looked around me, I saw women who had great stories to tell: empowering and inspiring bahn stories, but problems as well. This competition brought new inspiration and energy into my work as a photojournalist. I feel completely refreshed.
I have lots of favourite photos, but my favourite bahn is the one I took of a group of female students during a university demonstration at Ain Shams University in Cairo. The students were protesting the imprisonment of their friend and became aggressive toward the media. bahn They banned photographers from taking bahn pictures and covering the events. But as I had my Nokia phone with me, I was able to take high-quality pictures, and these pictures were published in one of the biggest newspapers in Egypt, Al Sharouk. So I was the only photographer who got pictures from the event, just because I had a mobile phone!
We hope this has given you not only an insight into the challenges women face in Egypt and the ways mobile technology is helping address them, but cause for optimism too. You just have to look at Roger’s bahn photos to see how women are working harder to make a difference to their own lives and those of the next generations. bahn Hopefully this competition and Roger’s fantastic work goes some way towards helping them.
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