A shadow in the nook where the two men have settled misses the one in blue by a slight margin. They are seated on white plastic chairs. One man’s left eye is tightly latched, in contrast to a slanted mouth, perhaps he has been caught mid sentence. The other man, wrapped in a pale pink cloth, listens intently. The pair are so engrossed in conversation that the makeshift table holding a plate of food is easy to miss. Mirroring each other, each rests a hand on the right knee, spoons suspended in air, a subtle indication that they aren’t yet finished with their meal. Just behind them, a grey box sprouts with cables, powering worlds outside this conclave.
— Haja Fanta
This photograph was taken in December 2024 while documenting the final day of the Sahara Festival in Douz. I spent the day walking around the festival, chatting to people and documenting the various elements of the event.
These two men, appearing to take a break from the busy market section of the festival, sat across one another with a box of goods between them. They looked as though suspended in their own world, the warm light of the afternoon sun setting shadows that provided them with brief respite from the chaos around us. You can see in the background a motorbike; many travel from nearby towns on motorbikes to attend the festival and the roads are filled with the sound of their engines and the smoke. This image stood out to me in the symbols it contains that represent the various elements of the festival and its attendees.
My photography is primarily preoccupied with exploring and attempting to improve the realities experienced by my communities through creative expression and self-documentation. My photographic practice is research based, and I aim to create a visual dialogue with my subjects where they can exercise agency in the image produced of them and the way it is used. I approach image making as a dialogue between myself and the people I document.
Sana Badri is a British-Tunisian artist. Her motivation to create images is primarily to build and maintain meaningful connections with her subjects, and foster a visual dialogue that speaks to those inside those communities. She has been exhibited at the V&A, published by the V&A, elephant magazine, oomk zine and Huck Online amongst others. You can find more of Sana Badri’s work via her website and Instagram
