Sunday 26 June 2011

The workers of Qatar



 These images were taken during a whistle-stop visit to Qatar last weekend, all (apart from the supermarket shot)  were taken inside residency compounds for migrant workers – mostly  Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Indian. These guys' attitude to my presence was by far the most accepting I've come across – a refreshing change from the usual ladles of suspicion heaped upon photographers. What I saw of their living conditions ranged from basic to downright disgusting; considering the profits being reaped by the development firms for which they ultimately work this situation is both unacceptable and unnecessary.





Wednesday 8 June 2011

Salafis and strikes: Cairo


Egypt's Salafis are a conundrum. They resent their portrayal by Egyptian and Western media as
 bogeymen intent on taking over the world, then tell you that, in as much, this is exactly what they'd like to see happen.  The Salafis we met were very welcoming and certainly knew a thing or two about how to eat a sheep; rest assured, should a global caliphate arise it'll likely come with more good food than you can shake a Quoran at.  Intrepid reporter Sarah Lynch will have a far more insightful view on this whole situation in next month's Esquire Middle East and an insight into the economic effects of labour strikes in Egypt in next month's Executive.