These posters speak about their dreams. They radiate passion and beam joy. These are not the faces of celebrities, advertising actors, criminals, or martyrs. These are the faces of Yemen’s everyday heroes who posed for the camera to remind the world –and themselves–who they are.
“We have different stories, histories, passions, and hobbies but the media only views us as helpless people, so we thought: let’s bring our faces to the front“, says organizer Rooj Alwazir.
Their portrays are part of Inside Out Project Sanaa, a street art initiative that aims to challenge the Media narrative on Yemen. “We photograph human faces to discover, reveal and share stories, to transform messages of personal identity into pieces of creative resistance“, Alwazir says.
The project, which stems from a global initiative that counts over 100 participating countries from Ecuador to Nepal, was implemented through social media and street posters. As photo sessions were held in local cafes, young Yemenis gathered from all corners of Sanaa, Taiz, Hodaida, and Hadramawt to turn the cities inside out and show the real principle that defines the Yemeni population: generosity.
“When we were in the old city of Sana’a, an older man stood silently watching us with a group of other men. I expected them to come yell at us for “ruining” the bridge. Instead they gave us huge smiles and one of them took a brush and started applying paste along with us“, says Alwazir with surprise. “The community was central to the whole process“.
For more information – Inside Out Project Sanaa