Kane Smego, Will McInerney, Mohammad Moussa, and Sameer Abdel-Khalek

POETIC PORTRAITS OF A REVOLUTION

Poetic Portraits of a Revolution, produced by the Academy Award-winning organization Empowerment Project, sent nationally recognized spoken word poets and youth educators Will Mclnerney and Kane Smego, project translator and poet Mohammad Moussa, and photographer and videographer Sameer Abdel-Khalek to Egypt and Tunisia in 2011. The team conducted oral interviews, captured photos, and recorded videos of people from all walks of life. Based on their experiences, they wrote poetic reflections that depicted the sights, sounds, and emotions of life in both countries during a time of transformation. The project powerfully conveys what it is like to experience in person one of the most significant social movements of the new millennium through the stories of the people themselves and the art that they inspire.

The goal of the project was to provide a glimpse into lives of the Egyptian and Tunisian people in order to shed light on the stories that aren’t being told in the mainstream media. The team also wanted to raise international awareness of the human element behind these movements towards self-determination. They wanted to bring back home the knowledge and experiences gained during the study of these movements with the hopes of transforming our own communities. All the material gathered during the trip was used to create a radio series, photo installations, video snippets, campus talks performances, and a theatrical production.

In addition to video selections from their work, Mashriq & Mahjar is pleased to present a digital exhibit of photography from the 2011 Poetic Portraits of a Revolution project.