[This post is part of an ongoing Profile of a Contemporary Conduit series on Jadaliyya that seeks to highlight distinct voices primarily in and from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.]
Jadaliyya (J): Are you a freelancer or do you work with an agency? Why did you choose this path?
Jonathan Rashad (JR): I have always been a freelancer. I chose this path as it gives me much more time to focus on issues I am interested in covering, not routine news and stories I would be commissioned to cover by news outlets or magazines. I get to guide my own editorial interests.
The main benefits are the freedom and time, which allows me to work on longer stories. I do not have to be merely reactive or to solely cover whatever is the top news story of the hour. If I were working full time for an agency, I would mostly be obliged to cover daily stories; as a freelancer, I can choose the story I want. I can investigate a subject I am m interested in, which is important to me as I believe in what I do.
Ultimately, being a freelancer enables me to cover breaking news and extended features, which allows me to show different perspectives of what I cover.
J: Are editors at agencies and publications open to your suggestions of important topics, or do they already have ideas in mind for what subjects they want you to cover?
JR: Both, but I mostly pitch ideas about stories I cover.
I try to not be led by what I think the agencies and outlets would be interested in; I do not pitch ideas according to what I believe will sell. Instead, I focus on what I feel like covering. It is hard to do this, which is why I do not do the work for financial reasons – I do it for what I believe in.
It is hard as while they might be open to my suggestions, this does not necessarily mean that they are open to funding the project. They will not usually pay the expenses. There is only a tiny chance of being awarded money to fund my covering of the story. Instead they ask me to send the resulting photos and wait if they are interested to buy. This can be difficult particularly if I have to travel to cover the story.
J: How do you choose what subjects to investigate?
JR: It is essential to choose a fresh, new subject – or an old story with a new perspective – that is interesting and relevant to what people here go through in their daily lives.
It is also important to keep the audience I want to target in mind - whether international or national - for the story I do. This does not mean that I need to find a subject that is solely interesting to the audience; I should be also able to relate to it on a personal level, because you will never be able to deliver emotion to the audience unless the person behind the camera feels it.
Ultimately, the image must been visually engaging: it has be interesting or emotional, whether in a negative or a positive way, and psychologically enshrine a human element so that the audience will relate more to it.
J: In what ways has your safety – and sanity – been challenged by your experiences as a photojournalist?
JR: Well, I would say that, speaking of my safety, it is getting more dangerous, as - over the time, I have learned how to go deeper into the front line of events.
In May 2011, I was arrested by military police while covering a protest outside the former Israeli embassy in Cairo. They tortured me, insulted me, confiscated my camera and erased all the footage I had. I was lucky to be released one hour later. But the situation was totally different for photojournalist Mosaab Elshamy and blogger Tarek Shalaby, as they were deported to military prison in Heikstep. Both were given a one-year suspended jail sentence.
In November 2011, Al-Masry Al-Youm`s video journalist, Ahmed Abdel-Fattah, lost an eye after being struck by a rubber bullet from riot police during clashes near Tahrir Square. In February 2012, Alisdare Hickson, a British journalist, was arrested and detained by police in Cairo for fifty-four days, for covering clashes near Interior Ministry. In December 2012, photojournalist Alhussayny Abu Deif was killed in Cairo during clashes between the opposition and supporters of President Mohamed Morsi.
These are some extreme cases of what photojournalists in Egypt go through, in addition to general problems, such as being injured by rocks and being exposed to tear gas, etc.
J: What risks exist for photojournalists in general in Egypt?
JR: Risks vary for photojournalists in Egypt. Whether you are taking photos from the side of protesters, the side of police, or even in a random neighborhood, most of the people do not understand the ideology of respecting a photojournalist, given that some journalists are not being objective nowadays. This, however, does not justify such treatment for journalists. Also, some people are xenophobic towards photojournalists, claiming they are "spies," working for a "foreign agenda," etc.
It is riskier for freelance photojournalists, especially those who do not have press cards or an accreditation, to cover events, as they could be arrested for that at any time. They would never be compensated if their gear is broken, stolen, or confiscated. They would also not have medical insurance if injured. Freelance photojournalists would have to buy their camera and gear from their personal funds, which is very expensive. That is why I have launched an online crowdfunding campaign to get new gear - as I am not able to do so on my own.
PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO JONATHAN`S CAMPAIGN!
[A message from Jadaliyya Editors]
It is worth mentioning that some protesters and policemen do not like being photographed, as they fear being arrested or framed in cases later.
Overall, I would say that the hardest thing for photojournalists in Egypt is police targeting us while we are reporting, in addition to protesters or angry residents occasionally targeting us. Police targeted and attacked me several times, along with protesters and residents, but I consider myself lucky to have never had a serious injury.
However, these are expected risks of doing the job we do; this is what all photojournalists go through.
J: You mention on your indiegogo page that you are working on a photo-story about sexual harassment in Cairo. During the two-year anniversary of the Revolution in 2013, some of the mass sexual assaults that took place were caught from many camera angles – while the attacks continued with insufficient resistance. In what ways do you think photojournalism can help stop harassment and sexual assaults, if at all?
JR: I personally saw women being publicly harassed and assaulted on the street several times, during protests and normal days, including secular women, women in veil or even niqab, etc. So I think covering this issue from a different angle and a deeper perspective would help expose more detailed information to a local and international audience. My story itself would never stop sexual harassment and assaults, unless Egyptians hit the streets to prevent this catastrophe. Period.
J: Please describe your photo-story about sexual harassment in your own words.
JR: My photo-story will be an explicit example of what various types of women go through in their daily life. And it would be an explicit proof for those denying the facts.
I prefer not to give too many details now, as it will be a breaking photo-story and it will take a long time to finish. But, in brief, I want to focus on the fact that most of women in Egypt experience sexual harassment on a daily basis. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women published a report showing the most recent statistics of sexual harassment in Egypt. The study shows that 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
J: You mention that you are also putting together a photo-story about street children. Please describe this photo-story for us.
JR: Street children have suffered a lot from police brutality over the past decade, especially after the revolution. You can see the street children who clash with riot police these days for instance.
I want to focus on the struggle those kids go through, as well as the various reasons for the existence of street children in Cairo. I have already photographed many street children over the past few years. What I want to do now is follow a street child or a specific group of street children for a while and document their daily lives.
J: Do you believe that freelance photography is a sustainable way to maintain a free media in Egypt?
JR: Of course it is. Freelance photography played a major role over the past decade, especially following the revolution in Egypt. With the blackout on specific issues, and given that many news outlets are biased (especially the state-owned media), freelance journalists and citizen journalists in Egypt expose parts of the truth that all too often go unseen. Most of the footage taken during the 18 days before Mubarak stepped down were taken by freelance journalists and citizen journalists. Being a freelance photojournalist makes one free from editorial pressure.
J: Do you think the financial difficulties of freelancing prevent it from being sustainable?
JR: They do. I personally know some journalists who left the industry after paying from their personal funds for a long time to cover their material. For example, when I cover a story, I may have to rent a specific lens, pay for travel expenses and accommodation, or rent safety gear. And sometimes I do not manage to sell a story after covering it, paying for travel expenses, and editing it.
J: What is the best way forward to maintain a free media in Egypt?
JR: I think the best way to do so is to have all journalists reflect their stories in an objective way. Also, supporting citizen journalist groups in Egypt, such as Mosireen and Ana Mubasher, is very important. Mosireen was the only outlet to take footage of Sheikh Emad Effat after being shot near Tahrir Square in December 2011.
[Jonathan Rashad tweets at @JonathanRashad and his website is Jonathan Rashad.]