Narrating Conflict: In search of “truth”

Examining the experience in Egypt of using images to fight for social justice, we talk to Aida El...

نص الحلقة

Inspired by the uprising in Tunisia, Egyptians took to the streets on January 25th of 2011 to protest the regime of the former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.

The call for the revolution first started online through social media platforms, and later ended with thousands of Egyptians taking to the streets and joining the revolution. 

Journalists and activists played a monumental role in documenting the revolution. Not only in Egypt, but also in other areas with conflict, like Syria and Iraq.

In this podcast we will talk about the role of these journalists and activists in covering the revolutions, the challenges they faced during their coverage and the efforts they have put in to deliver important and accurate information to their audience.

You are listening to the first episode of the Visualizing Conflict podcast brought to you by SOWT. All interviews included in this podcast were conducted during a Visualising Conflict conference at the University of Copenhagen, under the title Photojournalism and The Politics of Participation organized by IMS (International Media Support).

Let’s begin with Egypt, where Aida El-Kashef, an actress, director, and activist, joined people in the streets of Cairo, Egypt during the revolution in 2011 and decided to cover what was happening around her.

She believed that it is important to reflect the reality in visual material that people can see and interact with. And because she was not happy with the mainstream media’s coverage, she decided to reflect the events of the revolution through films. 

There was no alternative narrative in the beginning. It was only Aljazeera because people didn't want their state TV in and a couple of other freelance journalists, but there was no or not much of a proper narrative transmitted in the beginning.

I would just film pieces of real footage of what's happening in and put it online just for the sake of information to get out but as the time passed in years passed and then eventually it became more complicated we became more aware and organized.

Later on, the issue of campaigning started rising and journalists and activists needed to do more than just documentation. 

In many situations, visual storytelling was used as a proof for human rights cases where activists intervened to take action against injustice.  

so for example ‘no to military trails civilians’ which started in March 2011, it was ground roots initiative because we started to get it being aware that they were prosecuting protesters via military courts. and again, it was it was lawyers, humanitarians but also like just activists who became active during the revolution to be more precise, so that became a cause where that documenting now testimonials we're reaching out to people to know more we're getting to know the laws more, so we are doing diagrams we are talking to lawyers, So that's becoming you going to something rather than just filming what is there.”

“it's really like for an activist to be filming of like we call it like act of Journalism or like citizen journalism it was an experience that I built and other people built through being part of the Revolution and knowing the different reasons or the different goals that each thing in documenting can affect or can reach out.”

Egypt is becoming increasingly dangerous for journalists who are using various platforms to document incidents and convey messages in conflict zones. 

Aida believes that sometimes the camera makes the journalist become a target. 

“you're not looking really around you and focusing on what you're shooting. So that was something that you had to have experience on and know your enemy and how they move in like kind of what is the safest position for you to be in."

However, the fight against fake news in verifying images and videos from war zones has been a big challenge for international journalists who seek to reflect the truth to the world.

I can use my eyes and use my ears and I can use the camera that's with me I can use my pen and my notebook to document what's happening. 

We spoke to Nagieb Khaja who is a Danish war correspondent and an award-winning war journalist. Najib has covered the war in Syria and Afghanistan while using all sort of tools to verify stories, images and videos from battlefields.

It is has been very difficult to discuss the reality in Syria because the media, especially social media, has been flooded by information from different parties and for me it has been the biggest challenge has been to refute realities presented by certain parties because I have been only been reporting from the rebel-held areas..

 in Idlib and eastern Aleppo and that's why I talked about it. I don't talk about the reality in Damascus and Central Damascus. I do not talk about the reality in Tartous because I am not been there. 

I do my utmost to try not just talking to sources, you know that I film or interview but sources around them and try to give them a sense of protection. So that is so so so I can know as much as possible and I talk to other journalists too that I respect that I know who are serious and this is my way of working. 

I do my utmost to try not just talking to sources, you know that I film or interview but sources around them and try to give them a sense of protection. So that is so so so I can know as much as possible and I talk to other journalists too that I respect that I know who are serious and this is my way of working. 

Part of the experience of working in conflict zones is building a network that can support the reporter in accessing footage from conflict zones where a lot of people cannot enter or where entering can be life threatening. 

Therefore, building bridges of trust with sources in these areas is very important for war journalists to properly do their job in the field.

Building a network like the one we are all just protesters like anyone else in the square. We just have the camera, so how do you build a network where your images can really reach the maximum number of people and that took a lot of time for people to also feel that you are a trusted person that you are a genuine protester with no agenda. I mean other than the agenda of the revolution. 

In western countries to report a lot about Syria or Egypt for that case and they they they don't go to the places either because it's not the way of working or because it's not possible and then that dependent on sources on the ground and this is a very long process that you have to get to know people you have to check up on the information you have to repeatedly find out that the information you get from this source is true before you start narrate this

Najib says that covering stories in conflict zones can also be challenging because sometimes they would interview individuals who later on change or hide their opinions or statements because they may feel pressured by others or those in positions of power to do so. 

Other journalists they will have difficulties talking to people again because maybe they can interview somebody I mean he will stand there and praise the Baath party and he will praise Assad not family, but he will probably if he's not in favor of them because you have people we have Syrians, you know. Who are favoring the Syrian government and once this rule, but the people who are against it they are too intimidate it to tell the truth.  

Revolutions helped reporters discuss topics that were not on the table previously. According to Aida, issues like female equality and violence against women were not publicly opened for discussion before the uprisings. 

since the uprising in certain countries like Egypt the issues are about female equality and violence against women and harassment and assault and all those issues have become on the table 24 hours and that's a huge Step, even if it didn't reflect on reality or didn't change reality yet, but just talking about it so much so publicly so openly and having a lot of women brave enough to go on TV and social media and talk about their experience is already in itself for me a great step forward.

We tend to focus on the story itself but never know what happens behind the scenes with the journalists and activists who help shape our understanding of conflicts by exposing themselves to danger while maintaining the quality of their coverage. 

You were listening to the first episode of the Visualizing Conflict podcast. All interviews included in this podcast were conducted during a Visualising Conflict conference at the University of Copenhagen, under the title Photojournalism and The Politics of Participation organized by IMS (International Media Support) with funds from Danish Arab Partnership Programme and SIDA, and the research group Images of Conflict, Conflicting Images at University of Copenhagen, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication.

This episode was produced by Rabbie Hamamsah, Sabreen Taha, Mayss al-Alami and Tayseer Qabbani from SOWT podcasts. 

We will share more stories with you in our coming episodes of visualizing conflict podcast, so stay tuned.