I’m honored to have been asked by @leilamarwa and @photopiacairo to research and curate an exhibition on the history of photojournalism in Egypt for @cairophotoweek . This show unfolds like a giant newspaper, guiding audiences through how Egypt’s major events were covered—and how powerful images shaped our understanding of them. 

In the era before digital technology, smartphones, and social media, print journalism was often referred to as ” the Fourth Estate”, and “the profession of trouble.” Newspapers were the sole source of national and international news, and journalists raced against the clock to meet each printing deadline, for stale news was not acceptable. On May 4, 1881, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram published the country’s first press photograph — a portrait of Ferdinand de Lesseps.

 Each wall in the exhibition is designed to represent a page of a newspaper: from the front page through sections on news, events, the arts, investigations, sports, and local affairs, all the way to the back page, which traditionally features a distinctive photo story. This layout evokes the experience of browsing a newspaper — an experience that has gradually vanished with the arrival of the digital age. 
 

Working with @hossamdiab1 has been an incredible privilege; his generosity with knowledge and time has been unparalleled. I’m deeply grateful to the 46 photographers (and their families) who entrusted me with their work. Special thanks to @amr_nabil1717 for coordinating with the photographers and the Journalists’ Syndicate; @fareedqutb from @footografiia.eg for sharing agency archives; Mustafa El-Lathy for helping curate newspaper collections; and @yasserElQatway from Akhbar El-Youm for our LONG archive sessions.
Thanks for Photopia team for helping through the process specially @faridamahdy_ and @claudine_choukry