Hasan Ibrahim Belal | Syrian Thoughts On Public Transportation
A documentation project capturing a socio-economic crisis in the post-war era in Syria via a series of photographs telling the story of people forced to use public transportation in Damascus, as it only suits their income. These photos document the reoccurring daily challenge of catching a bus and the consequences of the experience, contradicting this society’s cultural and traditional values on the level of contact between males and females.
We face many problems in Syria, and unfortunately, it has become a routine. Still, in my opinion, it’s not normal to wait several hours per day to get a seat on public transportation after a long day at work.
One day during my street walking, I decided to stop and watch the entire process of “how can I have a seat in public trans,” and I got shocked because It was the first time I’d seen the scene from the outside, and I didn’t want to move on, which lead me to pick up the camera and start taking shots.
You can pick up your camera normally in Syria and shotting at tourist places. But, this kind of story, “Syrian thoughts in public transportation,” was challenging and is not welcomed by the regime and some people. Hence, I was forced to stay invisible and take all the shots stealthily, with no more 5sec for each photo to take, which was difficult for me.
It was dangerous. in addition, I couldn’t take some internal shots of the bus and the people inside it because of the permissions.
But at least I managed to take some photos and reflect on some of the daily difficulties faced in Syria, hoping that we will have better conditions and change this horrible reality one day.
A documentation project capturing a socio-economic crisis in the post-war era in Syria via a series of photographs telling the story of people forced to use public transportation in Damascus, as it only suits their income. These photos document the reoccurring daily challenge of catching a bus and the consequences of the experience, contradicting this society’s cultural and traditional values on the level of contact between males and females.
Hasan Ibrahim Belal
“Photography, to me, is a means of communication through which I understand and analyze daily scenes in Syria. I follow the visual anthropology approach in my art, which enables me to understand the identity of the place I reside, especially during ten years of war”.
-Hasan Belal
Hasan Ibrahim Belal, 28years old, graduated from economics university in Syria. He has been working as a photographer since 2010, with a particular interest in photojournalism and visual anthropology. Belal worked with many local and international agencies and NGOs in Syria, including UNICEF – ICRC – Caritas -NRC, and produced stories about life after war. He got a grant with Thompson Reuters with “Dar-Al Mosawer” in Beirut to train photojournalism with a related exhibition.
