THIRD PLACE WINNER - Editorial: Documentary (PROFESSIONAL)
City of the Dead
Photo © Alina Fedorenko
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„The City of the Dead“ is an ancient cemetery that is a residential neighborhood for the very poor people in Egypt. Cairo's alternative for those who are the poorest, live in „The City of the Dead“ area between graveyards. A life between tombs and mausoleum structures, where people live and work amongst the dead. The settlement is far from legal, but the Egyptian government has long since given up on evicting residents. Doing so, would require the unattractive proposition of moving the inhabitants to state-built apartments or forcing the creation of alternate slums.
The first cemetery caretakers have passed the jobs on to their children and so many generations living and raising families at the same place without moving, after being forced from central Cairo due to urban renewal demolitions and urbanization pressures, that increased from the early 1950s and forward. Other residents immigrated in from the countryside, looking for work. Most of the residents are three generations of Egyptians living in the necropolis, who grew up are raising the next generations. Women with children who lost their husbands and not able to finance life, depending on other male family members. The neighborhood is poorly policed, and crime is on the rise. This place has its own rules and some of the criminals found here a place too, next to families who are raising children.
My name is Alina Fedorenko and I am a emerging photographer. If you are new to this business and try to get your work out there, you are thankful for oppurtunies like contests to be recognized in your first steps. What you don´t know in the beginning that more than half of the contests are bringing you nowhere, no exposure, not even on google your name rise or your story get visible. These contests try not to push their chosen ones, only thing what you end up is a great first place in some category which means nothing. To learn that, you have to go through all these before you realize what is behind all that game.
The moment when you receive for the first time an 1 place at some contest is fulfilled with joy and you are so happy that your work is getting recognized finally, but than after few of them you realize that nothing happens you start to get sad and you doubt the industry. Photography is my Love, Photography is something what fulfill me in every corner of my body, mind and soul, Photography is something that I can use to tell stories about people who will never have a chance to race their voice, Photography is my weapon to case a change, to make life on this earth better. Everything I had I invested in this dream, I took my child on my back to get my work done, to produce series and photography. I´m not a hobby photographer, my life is photography and I´m more than sad to read the news about the fake contests around there, who uses dreams to make their lives better, live in bigger houses and buy even bigger cars, while the
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„The City of the Dead“ is an ancient cemetery that is a residential neighborhood for the very poor people in Egypt. Cairo's alternative for those who are the poorest, live in „The City of the Dead“ area between graveyards. A life between tombs and mausoleum structures, where people live and work amongst the dead. The settlement is far from legal, but the Egyptian government has long since given up on evicting residents. Doing so, would require the unattractive proposition of moving the inhabitants to state-built apartments or forcing the creation of alternate slums.
The first cemetery caretakers have passed the jobs on to their children and so many generations living and raising families at the same place without moving, after being forced from central Cairo due to urban renewal demolitions and urbanization pressures, that increased from the early 1950s and forward. Other residents immigrated in from the countryside, looking for work. Most of the residents are three generations of Egyptians living in the necropolis, who grew up are raising the next generations. Women with children who lost their husbands and not able to finance life, depending on other male family members. The neighborhood is poorly policed, and crime is on the rise. This place has its own rules and some of the criminals found here a place too, next to families who are raising children.
About author:
Dear International Photographer of the Year Contest,My name is Alina Fedorenko and I am a emerging photographer. If you are new to this business and try to get your work out there, you are thankful for oppurtunies like contests to be recognized in your first steps. What you don´t know in the beginning that more than half of the contests are bringing you nowhere, no exposure, not even on google your name rise or your story get visible. These contests try not to push their chosen ones, only thing what you end up is a great first place in some category which means nothing. To learn that, you have to go through all these before you realize what is behind all that game.
The moment when you receive for the first time an 1 place at some contest is fulfilled with joy and you are so happy that your work is getting recognized finally, but than after few of them you realize that nothing happens you start to get sad and you doubt the industry. Photography is my Love, Photography is something what fulfill me in every corner of my body, mind and soul, Photography is something that I can use to tell stories about people who will never have a chance to race their voice, Photography is my weapon to case a change, to make life on this earth better. Everything I had I invested in this dream, I took my child on my back to get my work done, to produce series and photography. I´m not a hobby photographer, my life is photography and I´m more than sad to read the news about the fake contests around there, who uses dreams to make their lives better, live in bigger houses and buy even bigger cars, while the
BACK TO GALLERY
