EGYPT. Al-Mahalla al-Kubra. Al-Gharbiya. November 2015.
(Translation of the written text below)
- You can stay with me no problem, a day, a week, a month. But taking pictures: no.
- Sometimes all the borders · customs, traditions, doctrines - can make you lose confidence in yourself. You have to trust yourself first before you can trust others.
- My name is Nora and I come from a middle-class family. I think my parents would never allow a stranger to come stay in our house for a day, because of issues with privacy and fear of strangers and crime. The fear is due to all the problems we read about on social media, fear that these stories might happen to us. I wouldn't allow you to take a picture of me because I would consider that a violation of my privacy. And because I'm not used to dealing with strangers.
- I agree with these ideas.
- There are a lot of people out there who think this way because of the current situation.
- Mama says spend the night with us, or with Karima our neighbour, because her bathroom is better.
- The problem is not privacy. The problem is our fear of how people will judge us.
- If they knew that this book would be published in Egypt, they would not agree to being photographed.
- Haven't you heard about Regeni, the Italian?
- Who is Regeni the Italian?
- They tortured him as if he was Egyptian (the mother of Regeni said). That's very painful for us, as Egyptians.
- People here are programmed to think that a foreigner with a camera is a spy.
- But that's actually true.
- Why are people afraid of you?
- Advice from my father to you: don't trust anyone, because that's just blind trust. But treat people with good intentions, until something proves otherwise.
- The picture was taken when she was in a bad state of mind, a sad mood.
- I am one of those people who wouldn't want to be photographed in my house while relaxing.
- I sit like this at home every day.