By Diar Turkmani | Staff Writer

Salih Basheer, a 27-year-old self-taught photographer, moved from his hometown in Sudan to Cairo, Egypt, in order to pursue a degree in Geography. Disoriented by feelings of loneliness and alienation, Basheer sought to document the struggles he faced in Cairo, most noticeably his experiences of having to deal with racism from local Egyptians. 

In his project, “The Home-Seekers”, Basheer documents the daily lives of two Sudanese men as they navigate the streets of Cairo – overwhelmed with the draining discrimination and inequality that they have to face – while trying to explore his feelings through these photos. A specific focus is put on his attempt to take pictures of these Sudanese men in their very most raw and simple moments throughout the day.

The project is an amalgamation of different types of photos; some being simple black backgrounds with quotes from one of the men describing a random thought. Other photos might be of one of the men doing a normal, simple action of drinking for instance. But perhaps what is most enticing is the intensity of capturing the rawness of the participants in this project.

Most notably, what caught my eye was the adjacent picture. An all-encapsulating, breath-taking synopsis of every emotion, feeling, and concept that Basheer is trying to portray: the nudity of the picture – representing the rawness that we previously discussed, the bent-over back – conveying the sense of tiredness and sluggishness that comes with living in the overwhelming times of an ostensibly intolerant and dreadful city for Sudanese people. 

The minimal number of things that Basheer tries to capture in this specific photo does not negate the breadth of thoughts running through the man’s mind, but in fact further amplifies his emotions, almost articulating them via the subtle sticker found on the man’s bed: “Ma’tha A’adatto Lihatha”, as in “What did I do [to deserve this?]”

This photo is coupled with more pictures that also capture simple actions. One photo is of a man who seems to have a headache and put his hand on his head, while another photo documents the same man in the picture below, slouched once again but this time lying on his bed. What is common in all of them is the black shade/background, perhaps a representation of the gruesome times they lived in as well as a reflection of Basheer’s dark perception of these moments while documenting them. 

Through this project, Basheer reminds us of the weightedness of life, which is almost always reflected in things such as our posture, body language, random thoughts, and relationship with our surroundings. Indeed, who would’ve known that profound concepts such as grief, exhaustion, and frustration could be expressed so vividly through our simple way of living and its whereabouts?