“There’s a wide spectrum of experiences for humans – lives can be so different,” says Brooklyn-based photographer Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi. “I wanted to see and try to understand as much of it as possible.”
Born to a Romanian mother and Iraqi father, Alhindawi first came into contact with humanitarian crises as a refugee herself. After years of work in the humanitarian sphere, Alhindawi picked up the camera to capture moments in history.
Her photojournalism in Congo earned Alhindawi the Red Cross Humanitarian Visa d’or Award. Additionally, PDN named her one of their 30 New and Emerging photographers.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi’s wide-ranging education
Alhindawi’s impressive portfolio is only a peek into her qualifications. Before photography, Alhindawi earned a dual BA in Economics and Neuroscience. Then, she went on to get her MA in International Development with a focus in Conflict Studies. From there, Alhindawi went into humanitarian work, and then – finally – photography.
“I suppose I was drawn to aid work due to my own family’s experience, and my own experience as a child,” she tells Tate. “… The other reason I got into humanitarian aid was that, even back then, I wanted to see what life was like at its extremes.”
“There was also something significant that happened as I moved up in the humanitarian aid world: my work became more managerial and administrative,” explains Alhindawi about her move to photography. “I increasingly delegated fieldwork to teams working under me, and less and less were the opportunities for me to be in contact with the people who were affected by the programs I was managing.”
Drawn to the human aspect of humanitarian effort, Alhindawi took up the camera to be able to fully insert herself into the circumstances of those that she worked with. “And I do have a bit of an obsessive quest to capture their emotions, or the feeling of a place, and to communicate that through a photograph,” she adds.
From childhood refugee to photographer
Alhindawi’s credits her turbulent childhood as a major reason that she went into humanitarian work. Born in rural Romania, the family had to flee in Alhindawi’s childhood. They passed through Yugoslavia, and then on to Canada.
“I think what most affects my photography is a deep understanding that anyone can end up in situations of hardship,” Alhindawi muses. “My parents and I ended up in a refugee camp, and we had to start life all over. My uncles were killed.”
“Always keep at the very forefront of your thoughts the reason why you started down this path to begin with,” Alhindawi advises. “Making a profession out of photography requires a lot of work on the business and logistical side of things. So it’s easy to lose sight of your core motivation.”
Alhindawi used her savings to go to the Congo to attend and document the Minova Rape Trials, a trial of 39 soldiers who systematically attacked women and girls during a period of ten days in 2012. Al Jazeera picked up and published her photos.
Explore the work of Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Alhindawi’s photos focus strongly on the human subjects of her photos. Specifically, she tends to focus on central and east African countries, and more recently the USA and Puerto Rico.
These are some of the photos from the Minova Rape Trials:
A woman identified her attacker by his distinct injury
Micheline, 18, and the son conceived through the attack
Alhindawi’s work has also appeared in The New York Times:
A photo of speakers of Seke in Brooklyn, a dying Nepalese language, more than a seventh of whom live in one building in New York
Alhindawi also contributed to Vice’s “Photos of the DRC’s Armed Citizen Militia” photo compilation:
Mari, an 18 year old soldier, who joined the army at 16
Explore the rest of Alhindawi’s work on her official website or Instagram.
Also consider donating to the GoFundMe Alhindawi has posted for the family of John Bompengo, a Congolese journalist who has passed due to Covid-19 complications.
