Sade - By Your Side Music to edit

It's funny the music you pick to edit to. Sometimes it's militant Hip Hop or House other times something a bit more mellow is needed.

Editing seems to require a mindset, doesn't matter what it is, but you got to be feeling something to be able to edit those photos and complete the last stages of your work, your art.

I find when emotions are running through my head to edit becomes therapeutic...you get lost in your work and the music and before you know it the sun has dipped and shadows cast themselves in the corners of the night.

Tonight I edited to Sade...an artist who brings back so many memories and feelings..some good and some bad..but essentially with Sade comes history.

No matter how I feeling before hand something bout her voice and the pain in it dredges up emotions buried deep within.

But it's good to feel, it's what makes us human, what makes us strive to be better people. When ever we think we are lost something or someone always brings us back.

So as I close my photos and files for the night with Sade's haunting voice echoing in my head..the words on my lips I smile regardless of the painful memories or the the hurts of the past as I know I moved a step closer to my dream tonight..another evening filled with pro activeness and achievement..as I look at some of my creations I know some memories are buried in the music and some are yet to be created by my hands...you can't really help smiling at that can you?

STRENGTH AND SISTER HOOD

Have you ever felt that your dream is really near yet so far? That someone or something is holding it just out of your grasp? It's not a nice feeling...it's disheartening and demotivating and can eat you up slowly from the inside...leaving you doubting everything about yourself.

Well I have been feeling a lot like that lately...guess it's due to a mixture of life being complicated and getting in the way and finding myself navigating around an industry and a world which is alien to me. It's left this overly confident loud strong woman feeling a little insecure and completely overwhelmed.

Navigating the world of the Arts and funding is like sinking into a massive black hole...makes me feel like it's times like this that who you know and where you come from could make a really big difference.

I sat there today with my heads in my hands wondering what was the point in doing such a big project if I couldn't get it funded to give it everything it needed to be outstanding and truthful to my hijabi sisters or failing that I couldn't get it commissioned to be shown.

I don't have a rich mummy and daddy or husband to fund me. I fund myself and the help is needed..I was literally at the point of giving up  some may say it shaytan whispering in my ears.) But I motivated myself to attend a meeting tonight.

This meeting was spear headed by an amazing sister, Lauren Booth a recent revert to Islam. The meeting was to discuss an idea for a Muslim women's project.

As I sat there and listened to the women talk and felt the thrill of new adventures calling me I began to feel that dark shadow lifting. And suddenly Anika was back, chatting, thinking, debating, living. (now they couldn't shut me up, funny what passion can do)

How can I describe to you how truly inspirational it is to sit in a room of Muslims sisters with such vibrancy and passion. All these sisters varied in every way from ethnicity's to levels of practise from the loud to the quite. But there was no judgement or up  man ship from any side. It really was a beautiful thing to see us sisters strip things down to the bare facts we are MUSLIM and we are WOMEN.

Although our life stories may differ we are one. I cannot describe to you how freeing it was unite despite the differences...its not the differences that make us who we are but the commonalities. 

We had the same goal to celebrate who and what we are.

Watching the women speak with such compassion and real feelings was like an epiphany to me. In one way or another at some point in her life each woman had suffered something for being a Muslim female. It seems our legacy that we are made to carry the mans burden...but I felt something different in the air tonight...EMPOWERMENT.

Sisters ready to take back their identity...no holds barred. And I mean no holds barred, I think anyone that suggested that any female in that room was inferior in any way probably would have got a slap or two lol.

How could I even conceive to give up. Is it not a Muslim woman's lot to suffer and struggle to make her place in this world? Statistically speaking it's harder for us to gain employment and we suffer the closed door syndrome regularly. A Muslim woman's life is not easy...unfortunately due to egotistical men and cultural confusion our women suffer. Then the west holds us up as this sniffing little damsels in distress. But from what I can see that's what makes us stronger...that's what makes us what we are. You hold us back we push harder. Sisters have had enough...it's our time to shine and show the world the greatness and the diversity that is us. But don't be fooled it will be a long and arduous journey but we will stand firm.

So what am I rambling on about??? Well tonight showed me that its about fighting..about being proud and standing tall, that these obstacles are a part of life and you should never let them get in the way and deter you. We are Women...Mothers of the nation...Paradise lies at OUR feet and if we hold strong our time will come.

So my beautiful sisters whether you are Muslim or not...know that even when times are at their darkest or it seems like all your hard work is ignored keep striving, keep dreaming. Not just for yourselves but for all your sisters..DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION.

And to end on that note i have attached a picture I found on the 13th most powerful Muslim Women in Britain.

I applaud you my beautiful sisters xxxxxx

if you want to read the article that goes with this picture please do i found it inspiring.

http://thetimelesslight.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/meet-the-13-most-powerful-muslim-women-in-britain/

OFF SEASON WEDDINGS

The wedding season is officially over and for most photographers like myself, I can not help but to feel a little sad as this season is what allows me to finance my projects and charity work. As well as that it's enjoyable to know that you have helped create memories that will last a lifetime.

However every good photographer knows that weddings still occur off season...and plenty of them too.

To celebrate the Off season I am offering reduced rates on snapping your big day.

All quotes are on a bespoke basis dependent on your needs and budgets...however a further 20% discount will be applied to all those booking between now and Feb 2011 for any wedding up until April 2011.

So for a friendly informative chat please feel free to contact me on 07949270943/ 07913619751 or alt email me on duniyaphotography@yahoo.co.uk
p.s in regards to segregated events, I have a strict policy that no men view the photos whilst in my care..they are also not uploaded to the net or shown in any future capacity to men

50'S AND 60'S AFGHANISTAN

Evening all,

I was looking through a profile on Facebook today and came across an amazing photo album of pictures taken in Kabul in Afghanistan in the 50'60's and just had to share some of these shots with you.
We are so used to seeing images in the media of Kabul as a war torn region where women are hidden in a pale blue Burkas and the streets are lined not with gold but with bullets and shrapnel.

It's hard for any of us to imagine that Afghanistan was once a hub of modernity and commerce..that it's universities were full of both male and female students. Looking at these images makes me sad.....Afghanistan was once a great nation, it could still be a great nation if we left them to govern themselves. This was not a back water that needed bringing into the new millennium...Afghanistan was well on it's way until the west got their hand in during the 70's war with Russia. Since then we have seen the decline of this once wondrous country.

So don't let the media and the Government convince you that Afghanistan needs us there....from what I can see they were doing a whole lot better before we ever stuck our oar in.
So lets celebrate Afghanistan for the greatness it holds inside and will one day release again x

BIOLOGY CLASS KABUL UNIVERSITY

LOCAL DRESS OF KHANDHAR

PARENTING CLASSES

WINDOW DISPLAY KABUL

60S FASHION

RADIO KABUL

KABUL AIRPORT

AFGHANI AIR HOSTESSES

KOOCHI DRESS

OFF TO STUDY

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM

SCHOOL GIRLS

SUPER HEROS PART 1 - Takwa Kheriji

Real Superheros come in all forms and shapes. Unlike the Hollywood versions. Those super powered cape wearing types just don't really exist or have a place in society. Instead we have the everyday super heros...the normal folk just struggling in life to make it bearable...these superheros who never acknowledge their actions or achievements or perhaps are not even aware of how much they have actually achieved.

These super heros cannot be defined or categorised...they simply exist, they are us. They are the image staring back from the mirror. They are our smiles, our frowns and even our tears. They face the same barriers and struggles as we do..but they over come and persevere.....an example to us that it's not what life throws at us but how we deal with what it throws at us that really matters. So with this beautiful idea  formed in my head I set about a way to encapsulate all the strength and amazingness I see in the every day grey around me...that flash of colour that signals humanity with its strengths and fallibility's.
So what other way then to pay tribute to all the unique souls that cross my path but to shine a light on their humanity and let it shine let it shine let it shine.  

TAKWA KHERIJI

Oh dear I can hear her in my head as I commence to type "Oh Mon Dieu Anika but why?"
That just sums up why Takwa has to be on my list of super heros...she is truly a woman who possess a quite but over whelming strength that is as subtle as it is strong.
So why did I pick Takwa...first she is a friend, a sister and a house mate and I love her as if the blood that courses through my veins is the same as hers.

Takwa at 25 seems both vulnerable and determined..but never mistake the tiny frame and cute smile for someone who needs your protection or empathy for her strength shadows her tiny frame.
3 years ago she made the life changing decision to follow a dream. A dream that led her to leave her family, her country and her friends.  It wasn't a dream of Fame or Glory or riches but a simple dream..a dream to teach and nurture the future generation. But why would one so young have to leave behind all that she knew and to follow a dream that seems to most attainable.
Well what I didn't mention is Takwa is from France...the country that has not only banned the veil but made it impossible for French Muslim women wearing the Hijab to enter work within the Public sector.
So if you want to work in public services which includes teaching you must sacrifice your religious beliefs and morals first.
You must shed the symbol of your belief and leave it at the door.

Yet Takwas dream to teach was so strong that she knew she could not leave it behind and yet also her personal desire to practise her religion was stronger....choosing one over the other was not a question...the question is what would she have to sacrifice in order to be the woman inside.

And sacrifice she did leaving behind loved ones and familiar places to pursue her need to be whole....
it's been 3 hard years and in that time Takwas has achieved so much.
Beginning with a nannying job to learn English Takwa followed through by working as a teaching assistant.
And now her dream is even closer as she is in the process of completing her PGCE to teach French Arabic and German within our school system.
I know it's been a hard road for my dear friend and sometimes I see how fragile she feels  and how she struggles and wants to give up but for me that makes her even more of a superwoman...her conviction to follow through on her dreams means so much more when I see her fallibilities and weaknesses.
The day of her graduation will be a moment not only for Takwa but all those other beautiful women out there told that they must be something different from what their heart yearns...it will be a victory against all those that repress us and hold us in chains.

So I say to Sarkozy and other Fascist's like him...you may place these barriers in front of our sister...destroy their souls...try to mould them into what you want and desire but they will take their burden and they will fight you and they will succeed (Inshallah).
For you are no match for my super hero's.

as a added note I would like to mention that takwa will be modeling for my project : )

LABI SIFFRE SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG

NO WORDS NEEDED..........................................................................

AFGAN WOMAN

Afghan Woman

by Latorial Faison

I have come to know you only by T.V.
and lately, when I see you, I weep for
fear and freedom, for you Afghan woman.

I stand in the shoes of femininity with
rights and choices, I have arrived by the
grace of God through ancestors. So I

shed tears for you, she who can finally,
and maybe once again, wear the beauty
and feel the mind's freedom. You've been

denied priceless and precious moments
you've been denied the enhancements
education can bring. But maybe now,

from the abyss of war you'll know victory
for yourselves, your children, your country
and live out dreams you've dreamed. We are

similar. You are woman. I am woman, and
we desire to be made whole, to live lives of
free will and chosen paths of our destinies.

I see you, with covered faces and bodies, just
moments after having sold your children that you
both might eat, after living in fear of a savagery.

I see your pain. I am called by your name, and
I cry because my face was also covered, my ankles
whipped, and my books had been taken away from me.

I live in fear and pray for peace each time T.V brings
you near. You are here, and I am there, and across
the miles I've come to share your pain Afghan woman.

I just wanted to share this poem that I found on a blog by Latorial Faison. An African American Poet and authoress.
For me why I love the poem so much is that underlying pin that unites us all...Our unity is the global suffering that women all over the world endure.
The burden of men's mistakes heavy on our backs. Pushing us down with the weight of their wrong doings. They make these mistakes and start the wars and we dutifully pick up the pieces and heal the wounds. But who heals our wounds who makes us whole again?
This is dedicated to all those beautiful strong women carrying those heavy burdens and responsibilities on their backs....we are all united and together we are strong. So sisters take a minute to feel the pain of womankind....be it in Afghanistan...Pakistan...Iraq...Palestine...Haiti...Sudan..Somalia or be it the woman who lives next door...or who works in the same office...or the woman with the sad eyes you see on your commuter train in the morning.
She is I and I is she.

GET THE TROOPS OUT

What's with London, rain and protests?? Spent another Sunday in the rain again supporting a fantastically important cause. Get the Troops out of Afghanistan!!!

The war in Afgan/Pakistan is costing thousands of innocent lives and to what gain. Young British soldiers are sent there without basic equipment and with no understanding to why they are really there...they confuse protection with occupation...leaving the land ripe for invasions from the Taliban. In a land where there is no hope and drones drop bombs on your Village on Eid day...what else but can you do but pick the lesser of two evils...helps if they are supporting a beard too.

While the West keep their troops in Afgan/Pak no peace will ever come to that region.
The people will continue to suffer under a regime which allows innocents to be killed..children to starve..women to be denied basic human rights..they will continue to grow in their hatred towards the West.
When the floods hit Pakistan...where was the Western aid? It was left to Islamist groups to take care of the people.
When drones hit villages and kill innocent people ..is it not the West that drop these bombs?
When troops enter homes and abuse women and take the men are these not western troops?
And who is always there to clear up the mess and sooth the pain...The Taliban and other similar organisations.

What part of we are doing irrepairable damage does this government not get? How do they not see what a mess that they are creating and how they fuel anti West sentiment's; whilst pushing the people towards the the wolf dressed in sheep's clothing. Makes me wonder sometimes................

So what is the west gaining from having a foot hole in that region...?
What is it that is so important that it's worth sacrificing innocent lives for??
Is it the natural gases found in the region?? The location with its proximity to Pakistan and Iran with their nuclear knowledge and power....or something even more sinister??
Who knows really...all we can do is speculate and even then we won't get close to the truth.

So what can we do? We can start by letting our voices be heard...letting our Governments know that their Occupation of Afghanistan and their illegal war in Pakistan cannot go on any longer. We need to let them know that we will not be silenced and this violence is not in our name. So stand up brothers and sisters...let me here you shun injustice and embrace freedom and equality.

below is a selection of pictures of some of today's speakers.

 On a slightly lighter note...some how in a ditzy moment I managed to delete about 80 percent of the photos from today from my memory card...hopefully (Inshallah) I will be able to get them back and when I do I promise you will be the first to see them.
However I hope the sample that I have provided today has highlighted how many people sacrificed their Saturday to stand in the rain to oppose the troops in Afhganistan and made you stop and think about what you can do.

Good night xx
Oh yeah and excuse any typos its late

Talib Kweli and Nina Simone - Four Women

Today's been a mad day filled with research, emails and reading. At certain moments I felt like giving up....that maybe I have bitten off more then I can chew and then I heard this track and felt inspired to work harder thinking of the struggles that sisters of colour suffer. That nothing is ever handed to us...to just take the crumbs from the table we must strive harder then others. We must endure pain and suffering to achieve our dreams. I know that it's going to be a struggle for me to complete this project...it will involve a lot of self sacrifice and hard work...but like my beautiful strong sisters before me I will rise.

LOWKEY - SOMETHING WONDERFUL (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Beautiful. I just had to share brother Lowkey's amazing track. As women we are struggling just to be equal and it is a amazing when a man recognises the struggles that we face on a daily basis. But we must recognise the same strength in ourselves. This song is dedicated to all my sisters struggling out there.....just keep your head up and keep aiming for your dreams. Remember my beautiful roses we are stronger and more precious than we realise.
Below are a photos that i have taken of Lowkey

OH LA LA

A few weeks back I attended a wedding in the South of France. In a place called Abeunas in the Ardeche (definatley worth a visit, its one of my favorite plaves in France)

ON THE DRIVE INTO ABEUENAS

Needless to say attending the wedding was exciting but what made it more exciting for me is that it was a wedding of a friend and that I was doing the photography as a gift for her wedding.
Wedding gifts are difficult at the best of time so being in the postion to create meomeories that will last a lifetime to me are the best gift that I could possibly give a friend.
The wedding day is so important to a bride...doesnt matter what religion or what country rich or poor...wedding are universal, the feelings transends all boundries and differences. Needless to say I was hoping to impress and to see  my friend rachida smile....not a hard task seeing as she never seems to not smile........

I was really excited as i knew i was arriving a few days before and would be apart of the preperations and pre wedding parties and to be honest i think thats what made the whole experience all the more magical for me.
Watching a family come together like that for such a joyous occasion is such a heart warming experience and getting to be a part of that in an honner. We live in a society where the family has become fragmented, bonds have thinned to the point of snapping so to see so many people laughing, loving and celebrating truely was magical. And walking away from that experience has left me feeling that my family is now a little bigger.

The funniest thing of all is that I speak very basic French and no Arabic at all...but my favorite people of all at the wedding were the older North African ladies.They couldnt speak English I can't speak Arabic yet with a few muddled words of French and Arabic combiened with hand gestures and facial expressions  we got through pretty well i think. I have never received so many hugs kisses and warm smiles from such a lovely bunch of women......in fact see them for your selves....my chillout crewxx







So back to the preperations....                                

wow I have to say Tunisians love their sweets... I have never seen such an array of yummy colourful delights in all my life and have to guiltily admit whilst we were making goody bags for the guest to take away a few of these scrummy sweets made it into my mouth.

You can only imagine what breakfast was like with all those delicious baked delights.....now i'm making myself hungry. Yup i can resist showing you the tempations that i had to deal with.

Once the preperations were finished the partying really started ....there were two full evenings of Henna where the bride is decorated with henna while the rest of us sing dance and tell stories. It was fantastic, the house was full of laughter and music and of course plenty of sweets.

RACHIDAS HENNA

The best part of these parties was after....i've never seen so many people stay over in one house it was like the biggest and most fun sleep over with us often getting told off by Rachida and Takwa's Mum for making too much nosie and us bursting into fits of laughter. there was something innocent and pure about these few days almost as if we were all kids again. But thats maybe what fun does to you...takes you back to a time when things were simpler and the worries of the world didn't rest on your shoulders.

FAMILY DINNER

I am lucky to have a close but small family but to see such a big extended family from the cutest kids to the wisest old women reminds you how important love and unity really is. Im not painting this to be the perfect family...im sure just like with other families there are missed opportunities and distant relationships but on occassions such as weddings it's as if there is an amnesty and it's a chance to relight friendships and to create new ones.
A time to celebrate those that are there and think of those that could only be there in spirit.

Ive just realised with all my rambling about the warmth and love i felt i failed to actually show you the couple at the heart of all this positivity....the beautiful (both inside and out) Rachida and Ibrahim....

RACHIDA AND IBRAHIM

Lovely aren't they? The totally suit each other and I love the way they both make each other laugh all the time. You can see that they are close but their constant smiles show that life is never goning to get in the way about how they feel about each other. To be honest I am a bit of a pessimist and always have a downer on Love but seeing these two melted my heart and actually made me sit back and think that maybe I do have a soul mate out there but maybe he's not in a very obvious place.

The big day was majestic to say the least, Rachida was like some kind of princess with about 4/5 out fit changes...needless to say me and my camera were exsaughsted by the end of the day....actually i think i couldn't move the next day and missed my chance to quickly visit chamberry in the french Alps....thats not why i was sad..it meant missing the chance to see Hananes family....another amazing family that have shown me so much hospitality and love.

The big day started with the happy couple and their entourage leaving for the civil ceromony.

The french ceremony (The islamic one had been done the night before the party) was held in a magestic Chateaux in the centre of Abeunas...

THE RINGS

THE CEREMONY

The ceremony was foloowed by a little shoot with the Couple and family and guests.

After the Shoot we went to the after party that had us dancing until 4 in the morning...oh happy days xx