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Friday, 03 October 2008 12:53 |
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the ground. This made you feel very alienated and cut off from them on a personal level.
At the time I didn't know much about the country - there was nothing like the knowledge we have now.
I remember as I was walking from the picture editor's office him saying "oh by the way you ought to know photography is illegal in Afghanistan". Not surprisingly this made working incredibly difficult.
I was sent with a male journalist and we had to register with the Taleban on arrival so in actual fact I was issued with a permit - I could take pictures of war damage but not people.
On registration we were also given an official translator and driver. They accompanied the journalist but I was only permitted to travel with other women and so travelled separately.
In a way it allowed me more freedom. I also had to wear a burka which meant nobody could tell who I was.
A sense of sisterhood
The women I met were incredible. We worked with a small group and I was lucky to have an incredibly fearless translator call Marina who was adamant that it was important the story be told.
She was the only woman I refused to photograph and identify because I was really worried about the possibility of my film being confiscated. If they had seen Marina's picture they could have found all the other women.
The women were unbelievably delighted that anyone was taking any interest in them. One of the things that has stood out during my travels in Islamic countries is the sense of sisterhood that you get. They told their stories to me so powerfully and they were adamant that if nobody listened nothing would change.
Changing times
Going back in 2001 there were huge differences. The markets were packed full of Bollywood posters and films, soap with pictures of women on the packaging were being sold - as were kites, lots of kites.
The more important changes included the fact that women were able to work, and I'd seen an illegal home-school under the Taleban and upon my return the same kids were in the same class but attending school legally.
Women could not work outside their home or go to school
I don't have a photographic inspiration as such - there are other people's work that I love, but my main inspiration in photography has always been from the people I meet. I've always felt it's about telling other people's stories and not just about trying to make an art form.
It's a collaborative process - especially with a project like Afghanistan - it's about giving people the time and opening up the possibility of having their story told. I've always felt incredibly privileged to be a photographer because it allows me to step into people's homes and lives - that is the thing that motivates me.
I received a letter, following the magazine publication, from a school girl in Belfast who had seen the piece along with her mother and aunts. She wrote to say it had opened their eyes to something they'd not heard about. It made me feel that it had an impact and did make some difference.
Unveiled/ Harriet Logan. Runs 3 October - 15 November, Independent Photographers Gallery, 3 Old Brewery Yard, Battle, East Sussex TN33 OAF. Read more: |
