Job Discussion Forums

[kennyloo]

Is anyone interested in receiving some disposable cameras to distribute to some of your students, allowing them to take pictures, and then sending the cameras back to me (I can pay for postage)???

I have just received $10,000 from the Donald A Strauss Scholarship Foundation, to implement my own public-service project. Basically, I want to distribute cameras around the world to local youth, and have them capture the essence of their experiences through the lens of a camera. Have those cameras sent back to me, and use those images to create an international photo gallery that will travel to local schools around Orange County, California. My project seeks to humanize the vast global experience while empowering American youth to think critically about today�s international issues.

If you are at all interested in playing a crucial role in this project, please e-mail me at [email protected], and I can send you more details about my project! Thank you so much!

[Bindair Dundat]

[Bebsi]

If you give me USD 10K and send me a load of cameras, I will distribute them here in Romania for you. The project will be called Enterprise Romania, teaching young Romanians the value of commercial skills.

[Queen of Sheba]

What you ask can't be easily accomplished in the Middle East, the forum where you have posted this message. Its not easy to take pictures in the Middle East of people and sometimes even places because of cultural and religious beleifs. Most women would protest in the GCC countries, and others maybe offended, threatened or simply refuse because they would fear what you will do with the picture. It would also be pretty strange for a teacher to ask his/her students if they could take their picture or if they would take pictures for them, and may even jeopardize his/her job and or reputation. I would rethink this one if I were you.

[veiledsentiments]

Well QS, I have lots and lots of pictures of me and my students both male and female from Oman, the UAE, and Egypt from over the years. I was surprised at how many of the girls were completely comfortable with it. There was no pressure either way. Those that didn't want photos were not chided for avoiding the camera and those that didn't mind photos were not criticized for allowing it. I just allowed them to make the rules - and handle the camera. In the UAE, the women's colleges published magazines full of student photos!!

But, I agree that this project would have to be carefully handled in the ME. I can see the male students having fun with it... and a few of women to be honest...

VS

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

Even with the students' permission, it's rather difficult to take a snapshot on a campus where cameras are banned ...

[scot47]

This is a total non-starter where I am. Images ? Of PEOPLE ? What sort of abomination are you trying to encourage ?

[veiledsentiments]

Yes, but this is the General Middle East board, and Saudi Arabia is the exception, NOT the rule.

I have never taught on a campus in any ME country where cameras are/were banned. North Africa and the Levant would be no problem. Kuwait, Oman, and the UAE - no problem. I suspect that Bahrain is the same.

I don't know about Qatar... may depend on the university there. Since they are Wahhabi, QU may be a no... but some of the private colleges probably allow cameras.

VS

[scot47]

VS

Why would we want to get involved ?

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

Even with the students' permission, it's rather difficult to take a snapshot on a campus where cameras are banned ...

[veiledsentiments]

Oh duh... and where is that place? I never encountered it in the middle east in 18 years and here you seem to want to generalize it in a way that is not at all helpful to the question of the original poster. I can only assume that it is some place like Saudi.

Scot47... don't blame you for not wanting to be involved. But I have had classes that would have enjoyed doing a something like this - especially in Egypt, Oman, and the Emirates.

VS

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

Having a bad day are you ...

[Queen of Sheba]

I have lots of photos with Middle Eastern friends and students as well. This wasnt the objective of this person advertising the grant to take photos of people all over the world, and asking us in the Middle East forum to have our students take random pictures and send them into him. It seems like a strange request in and of itself, regardless of the Middle Eastern context, and it wasn't well explained nor has he responded to any queries or responses.

I agree with the observation made by VS, that not all Middle Eastern countries are the same and not all Middle Easterners would object to their photo being taken. Egyptians in particular seem to love all aspects of fun, media and pop-culture. Except for the kind that attack tourist zones like Dahab, of course, but that�s in another post. However, in Egypt, as well as most countries in the Middle East, I think it�s safe to say people expect to grant permission to having their picture taken? In addition, many, women in particular as you said, may just refuse, especially when they don�t know where the picture is going. Finally, in some Middle Eastern countries, and I am not referring to Saudi alone, in Iran, Bahrain, and other GCC countries, it wouldn�t be polite to just walk around snapping photos of people you don�t know, especially locals. In Iran you may face arrest for this act alone, as was the case with the journalist last year. I understand Iran has exceptional laws against the media. Yet, while we in the West have learned to vanquish public persona rights because the media and government have public and privacy laws that enable media, newspapers and photographers, to take any photos of people that they please, and they may print and use them on TV, as long as its in public. This freedom of the press doesn�t exist in the Middle East.

However, I can see where a teacher may make this an interesting lesson for students. I just think it�s harder and more complicated in the Middle East to have exercises with pictures in particular, than other places. I think some institutions, and not just in Saudi, may have issues with it as well.

[veiledsentiments]

QoS,

Since this would be a student project, wouldn't they know better what they could or couldn't photograph... not to mention who? Plus, we don't have all of the details of the project itself...

It could make an interesting discussion setting the project up - not to mention you could likely learn a lot from them about the local 'rules' that we expat teachers often accidentally break. In Egypt, the topic could be pretty free, but in the Gulf, it would probably have to be restricted to the campus...

Personally I would love to see the exhibit when it is finished to see what different students around the world did with their cameras.

VS

[Queen of Sheba]

I tend to think some codes shouldn't be tampered with by expats, especially when they are fundamental to the local religion and private culture of Middle Eastern people especially women. While I find locals are more tolerant than we often give them credit for, the project just sounds like a crass American idea that assumes this is going to be easy to accomplish and not at all culturally challenging. I have been in Saudi for over two years...maybe I sound conservative because of the local influences. I suppose it�s true that the students would know what, who and when to take the photographs given that it�s their own country and culture. I think it may work out very well in an open minded atmosphere that isn�t bound by religious issues, which reduces the options in the Middle East greatly. Personally, I would love to incorporate music and photography into some lessons, but it�s out of the question in a Saudi women's college -even if the photos were restricted to the campus - they are concerned with where the pictures are going to end up more than anything else. I think it was a little naive on the part of the original topic poster to think this project could be easily taken on by teachers in the Middle East - not impossible just difficult in many of the countries. The entire GCC and others would raise concerns with photographs - not with just with being photographed but also with where they are going to be published and displayed. Then there is the fact that many institutions, even private ones, prefer to keep a conservative face for their own reasons. Even in more "liberal" places like Bahrain or the UAE, I wonder how comfortable the locals would be posing for photos not knowing where they may end up being displayed or published. How comfortable would each of us be for that matter? The locals I know in Bahrain, UAE, Saudi and Iran wouldn't do it, and they are extremely liberal in comparison to most GCC nationals. Again, I am not referring to taking photos for memory sake or for an on campus school newspaper or campus based project - the discussion is for this international project. It wouldn't be ethical to just NOT tell them the photos would be for a project funded by an American foundation for some international exhibits.

It's interesting to observe where culture and religion collide in various ways in different Middle Eastern countries, and photography raises these questions and concerns - the good and bad pro and con.

The photography departments at local Universities in Riyadh don�t even display photographs or drawings of people, even within the segregated campus grounds. Conservative Muslims consider photography prohibited and I think they don�t want to risk offending anyone. Similarly many people, conservative or not, wouldn't want their pictures used for public purposes. More information should be posted on this exhibit, perhaps including where it will be held, as it maybe useful for those interested and able to participate in the project. I found a link about the scholarship itself, it seems it�s for college juniors in the state of California. http://www.straussfoundation.org/