Boushra Almutawakel

Boushra Y. Almutawakel[1] (born 1969)[2] is a Yemeni photographer.[3] Her work concerns perceptions of Arabs and Muslims internationally and focuses in particular on issues of gender and representations of Muslim/Arab women and their clothing.[4][5][6]

Early and personal life

Almutawakel was born in 1969 in Sana'a, Yemen, has moved to Paris from Yemen in 2013, and lives in Neuilly with her husband and their four daughters.

Work and career

Almutawakel was living in the United States at the time of the September 11 attacks, which led her to focus on perceptions, both positive and negative, of Arabs and Muslims. She engaged specifically with the Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi's remark that "women who wore the hijab or niqab were the same as women who wore makeup in the sense that they all hid their true identities", and sought to interpret Saadawi's ideas through photography. Her "hijab series" explores perceptions of women in particular, and includes photographs of "Fulla" dolls, a toy similar to Barbie dolls marketed to Muslim children. Almutawakel's work also examines the ways Yemeni women have covered their bodies historically and in the present.[4] Discussing her focus on clothing and the niqab, Almutawakel has said "I want to be careful not to fuel the stereotypical, widespread negative images most commonly portrayed about the hijab/veil in the Western media. Especially the notion that most, or all women who wear the hijab/veil, are weak, oppressed, ignorant, and backwards".[5] Another project depicts women dressed in men's traditional clothing; Almutawakel explains "men's traditional clothing is very similar to women's clothing—long, loose, modest and often with a head-covering. The focus in Western media is always on the way women are dressed so I wanted to challenge this idea."[6]

She has worked as a photographer for the British Council, CARE and the United Nations; and also worked for the Yemeni embassy in Washington, D.C. as a consultant on cultural affairs and for the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights, focusing on women's issues.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "The hijab / veil series". International Museum of Women. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Boushra Almutawakel, Strata, 2008". School of Oriental and African Studies. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Espinosa, Ángeles (4 January 2012). "La revolución ha inspirado a artistas. A mí me bloquea". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 Alviso-Marino, Anahi (October 2010). "Boushra Almutawakel". Nafas Art Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  5. 1 2 Denis, Daphnee (29 November 2012). "Unveiling an Arab Woman's Experience With a Headscarf". Slate. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Challenging the norm". The Economist. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

External links

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