INTAKHABAT: OUTTAKES FROM A DEMOCRATIC EGYPT
Project published Spring, 2013.
In May, 2012, I arrived in post-revolution Egypt, alongside some very good company. Our timing couldn't have been better: Egypt was set to host its first freely-held democratic presidential elections, and we were to have a front row seat.
Had I known a front row seat would literally mean hiding on the balconies of abandoned buildings, camera in hand, while soldiers in Cub Scout-looking uniforms pointed soviet rifles at me from the polling location below, I probably would have cried with excitement, for I went to Egypt seeking thrills.
Documenting the two days of elections was about as heated as things got during our duration there, although I did happen to find myself in quite a few other questionable, dare I say, semi-dangerous situations (you can read about one of those situation on Animal New York). .
Intakhabat translates simply to "elections" in Arabic. And while this story does in many ways center around the elections that took place, it is more a story of intrigue; a brief glimpse into an incredible period in Egypt's history, told to you through the eyes of a curious American with a camera and a photojournalism degree.