Silent Screams

Silent Screams: is a series of self-portraits that explore notions of cultural and gender identity for women in Egypt; in a patriarchal society where most women exist on its margins and are disparaged, intimidated and regarded as a burden.

Being an Egyptian woman, photographer and having been directly impacted by these structures, I felt the need to capture these sufferings. The aim of the work is to give these women visibility and a voice by putting the spotlight on and denouncing out loud the suffering that many of these women are obliged to undergo. Below are

some statistics that acted as a background for the project:

• 90% of Egyptian men think women should tolerate domestic violence for the family´s survival.

• 87% of men believe women’s basic role is to be housewives.

• 78% believe they have the duty to exercise guardianship over their wives and female relatives, including what they should dress and how they should act. *

*According to UN Women & PROMUNDO study (a global leader in gender equality studies) in May 2017.