French photographer uses her craft to learn about being a woman in Egypt

AMMAN — A photography project Amélie Losier worked on in Egypt has taught her about the strength and resilience of women living in a society run by men. 

Losier, whose photography work for the project Saydah (lady) is on display at Institut Français as part of the Image Festival, said while she was taking photos of Egyptian women, she learned how amazing and tough a woman can be in a patriarchal world.

“There are lots of topics that annoy me in this world and one of them is the priority of men over women, and it has a consequence on the daily life of women. It is happening everywhere even in Europe,” Losier told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

Her project features portraits of three women in Egypt, having gone several times to northern Egypt to meet these women at the places where they live. 

“I wanted to be in their personal places so that they can feel comfortable while talking to me,” she added.

Street photography, portrait-reportages and multimedia story-telling are the Berlin-based photographer’s main focus, according to her website. 

Losier is most interested in photographing people in their self-contained world. 

“We talked about… how to be a woman in Egypt today… we talked about marriage, sexual harassment and about divorce,” the photographer recalled. 

She said the stories of the three women are all unique and interesting to be heard. 

“One of them is living in the countryside and she decided not to marry a man who wants her to work in the [farm] because she learned how to make pottery, and she [later] taught her daughters how to make it, and it became a family business. She developed a great strength to protect herself and to be what she wants to be,” Losier added. 

Her exhibition runs until April 30.