Laura Boushnak: For these women, reading is a daring act
ലൌറ ബൌഷ്നാക്: ഈ സ്ത്രീകള്ക്ക്, വായന ഒരു പോരാടലാണ്
Laura Boushnak is a Kuwaiti-born Palestinian photographer whose work focuses on women, literacy and education reform in the Arab world. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
for my projects in personal experiences.
towards a better life
for my project I Read I Write.
to pursue my higher education,
stories of other women
the barriers they face.
that concern women's education,
among Arab countries
which is quite high in the region;
programs for dropout students;
among university students.
to convince the women to participate.
might influence other women's lives,
for their own community, did some agree.
and reflexive approach,
their own words and ideas
in some of the classrooms,
and motivate other women
and situations.
to be independent
was Umm El-Saad from Egypt.
ഉം എല് - സാദ് ഈജിപ്റ്റില് നിന്നായിരുന്നു.
barely able to write her name.
a nine-month literacy program
that her husband
out of the classes,
Umm El-Saad joined the program.
control over her simple daily routines,
to helping her kids in homework.
and her community's mindset,
her Egyptian classmates,
I interviewed.
is quite active on social media.
what has been called the Arab Spring,
of discovering a new bacteria.
we have a new one every single day."
of religious fundamentalism in the region,
to women in particular.
Fayza from Yemen affected me the most.
at the age of eight when she was married.
of a 60-year-old man,
she was a divorced mother of three.
in an ultra-conservative society,
to her going back to school,
to control her life was through education.
at the university.
rent a place to live in,
tremendous change,
are overwhelming.
to becoming the photographer I am today,
telling me what I can and cannot do.
and many women across the Arab world,
to overcome barriers to education,
to a better future.
with a quote by Yasmine,
I interviewed in Tunisia.
not who they want you to be.
for your mother birthed you free."
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Laura Boushnak - PhotographerLaura Boushnak is a Kuwaiti-born Palestinian photographer whose work focuses on women, literacy and education reform in the Arab world.
Why you should listen
Boushnak's documentary project I Read I Write explores the barriers women face accessing education and the role of literacy in improving the lives of women in Egypt, Yemen, Kuwait, Jordan, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. For the project, Boushnak encouraged women to write their thoughts on prints of their portraits, engaging them directly in the artistic process. Boushnak’s images have been widely published, and her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. She is a co-founder of Rawiya, a collective that brings together the work and experience of female photographers from the Middle East.
Laura Boushnak | Speaker | TED.com