In 1999, Seynab Azir Wardeere fled Somalia, fearing for her life. Her home country was in the midst of chaos and destitution after suffering from decade-long tribal wars, rampant famine and widespread disease. Seynab, who had just been raped and had seen her father murdered, escaped to Kenya with her youngest son, leaving her husband and two daughters behind because they lacked the money to flee the turmoil. To this day, Seynab has no idea of their whereabouts.
Fazal Sheikh has spent the past 15 years photographing refugees like Seynab in Kenya, Somalia and Afghanistan. His portraits – powerful, respectful and compelling – tell the stories of people a world away. Four Sheikh exhibitions – “Ramadan Moon,” “A Camel for the Son,” “The Victor Weeps” and “Simpatia” – open at the Block Museum of Art April 19, bringing the images of these people to Northwestern.
“Ramadan Moon” shares Seynab’s ordeal by combining her memories of her flight, words from the Koran and Sheikh’s photographs.
Sheikh continues to illustrate the plight of Somali refugees in “A Camel for the Son.” Presenting not only pictures of women and their children, he also includes the refugees’ names to spread awareness of international human rights issues.
“I think that’s what it’s all about,” Sheikh said. “To ask people to confront these individuals, these nations, these cultures and begin to delve into their history and situation in a more complex and thoughtful manner.”
A New Yorker of Kenyan and Pakistani descent, Sheikh’s political and artistic journey began while tracing his family history.
A trained artist, he first aspired to have his work in galleries, but after working in refugee camps, he says his art is one of the few venues that give a voice to those who are rarely heard.
Profits from two books, which were compiled from “Ramadan Moon” and “A Camel for the Son,” go to the International Human Rights Fund, which the 37-year-old photographer established to benefit the subjects of his art.
“I hope my work is about making people realize the human cost of aggression,” he said.
In “A Victor Weeps” Sheikh takes a step away from Somalia and turns his lens to Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban. Though Afghan refugees have received some media attention following Sept. 11, their suffering can be traced back to the Soviet communist occupation of their country. An estimated 2 million refugees are in Pakistan refugee camps, where Sheikh spent time between 1996 and 1998 photographing men, women and, most notably, children.
“When you look into their eyes, you see an extraordinary kind of maturity of these children born in exile – perhaps because they weren’t afforded the luxury of a childhood,” he said.
In today’s patriotic climate, Sheikh uses his images to question the consequences of U.S. involvement in Somalia and Afghanistan.
“When I was a student, I was taught that by being patriotic, you had a right to question your country and, through that questioning, to gain a higher understanding and greater insight,” he said. “Currently it seems to question anything about our country’s motives is unpatriotic.”
Sheikh’s fourth exhibit, “Simpatia,” departs from his work with refugees. Photographed in Brazil after the Nature Conservancy asked 10 artists to render the last great places on earth, Sheikh chose Grande Sertao National Park. Despite cultivating the land for generations, farmers there are seen as “squatters” by the government because they cannot afford to pay land taxes. He said he hopes his photographs will empower these farmers in a country where the wealthy and the poor are at odds.
The almost 160 gripping photographs in the exhibitions create a sort of family album, drawing viewers into a world far from NU.
“Perhaps walking through the exhibitions, reading and seeing their (the refugees’) voices, you come to a more emotional experience. I don’t particularly want to direct what you should do with that feeling, that’s for you,” Sheikh said. “I suppose it’s more about raising questions than it is about giving answers.” nyou
