A Week in Pictures Middle East and Africa February 8, 2019

There is no mistaking the classic beauty of Eissa Alragehi’s picture. It depicts the kind of calm that the pre-Raphaelites strove to achieve in their paintings of imagined rural bliss. But this is Yemen, a far from perfect world, so maybe this is why the top of the tree is cropped off, a slight distraction in this otherwise wonderful picture.  

Students displaced from different cities in Yemen’s northwestern province attend an outdoor class under a tree near Abs, Yemen January 28, 2019.   REUTERS/Eissa Alragehi

Also from Yemen, this brutal image by Fawaz Salman of the execution of two men convicted in court of child rape raises many ethical dilemmas. Should this picture be taken? Should this picture be published? If it’s not taken or published are we self-censoring what is happening in Yemen? If it is taken and published are we normalizing brutality? Is this execution, although legal in Yemen, brutal or just?  These decisions are not taken lightly and keep me awake at night. The men are not dead and this is not the moment of death. My view is that this an important picture to take and publish because this is what is happening in Yemen now. Professional photographers facing this decision will use their own moral compass to decide how to shoot this image. It is also worth noticing the dozens of people using phones to film and photograph the scene. Will they face the same ethical dilemmas when they decide whether to share on social media – thus raising another unanswerable question? 

A police officer prepares for the execution of Wadah Refat, 28 and Mohamed Khaled, 31, who were convicted of raping a twelve-year-old boy, in Aden Yemen February 7, 2018.    REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

And while we are considering ethical dilemmas, Khaled Abdullah had some difficult choices when illustrating the story of conjoined children born in Sanaa Yemen. It is a tragic story that needs to be highlighted, but many would shy away from publishing brutal images of babies suffering in this way. A solution is a clever picture of medical staff looking at x-rays. Even though the reality of the conjoined children can be clearly seen, the image offers hope as the doctors study the x-ray and we allow ourselves the belief there just might be a chance of a normal life. The full story, with other images, can be seen here

Doctors check the x-ray film of newly born conjoined twins at the child intensive care unit of al-Thawra hospital in Sanaa, Yemen February 6, 2019.   REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

It’s nice when shapes and light all come together to lift an ordinary scene into an image that is a little more special, and this is where Philimon Bulawayo’s picture succeeds. The great shapes of the hat and shoulders are set against the colour of the background, enhanced by the flicker of light from the flame on the face. Delightful. It lifts my spirits.

Zimbabwean Bishop Regina Katsande lights a candle during a national prayer meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, February 7, 2019.   REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

Mohamed, Torokman’s picture has the same structural feel as Philimon’s image above. A single gesture by Alexander Van de Bellen, who looks across to his Palestinian counterpart, lifts an ordinary scene into a picture that is a little more special. The direction of the look by the two men keeps your eye from speeding beyond the edge of the frame as you follow the line of the flags. I like the 16 X 9 format of this image too. It’s easy on the eye as you race back and forth from side to side and back again. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen attend a joint news conference in Ramallah, in the occupied Israeli-occupied West Bank February 5, 2019.   REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman 

The Pope visits United Arab Emirates. There’s a lot of excitement and security is tight. Ahmed Jadallah, as well as producing many classic ‘Pope makes a visit’ pictures, had the  courage to turn 180 degrees from the action to look in the opposite direction to the crowds to produce this very calm security picture. The soldier, although tiny, still jumps out in the frame to grab your eye as the blacks of his uniform stand out against the soft pastels of the blue sky and eggshell white of the minarets.

A member of the security forces guards during the arrival of Pope Francis at the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates February 4, 2019.   REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

It’s not often that direct eye contact adds to a news picture. In fact it will often destroy it, but Feisal Omar’s image bucks that trend. The reason is that the eye contact takes you directly into the centre of the image, past the red jacket and the cut-off hand that extends annoyingly out of the frame on the right, and the yellow and orange on the rescue worker’s clothing on the left. Once we are through this visual noise, we get to see the injured man on the stretcher and the intense look of the men wheeling him to safety.

Security forces and emergency services evacuate an injured man from the scene where a car bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Mogadishu, Somalia, February 4, 2019.  REUTERS/Feisal Omar

It’s difficult to ignore a sea of red with a beaming smile in the middle. It’s especially difficult when there are two people wearing blue shirts on either side of the picture, maybe they didn’t get the email? I like to think that Siphiwe Sibeko spotted these blue shirts when he shot and cropped the picture. I suspect so, as there were thousands attending the rally. If not, he can add luck to his list of skills. 

Supporters of South Africa’s radical left-wing party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), hold placards during the launch of the party’s election manifesto in Soshanguve, near Pretoria, South Africa February 2, 2019.    REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko 

Middle East and Africa, Pictures of the Week August 6, 2017

This is a collection of pictures that caught my eye from the Middle East and Africa this week. I chose them for a variety of reasons -- a captured moment, something that made me pause for thought, great design , great light or even something that simply made me smile.  These are not necessarily the top news pictures of the week but may have slipped by largely unnoticed in the tsunami of news from the region.

A police officer opens fire at Muhammad al-Maghrabi, 41, who was convicted or raping and murdering a three-year-old girl, in Sanaa, Yemen July 31, 2017.   REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah 

We started the week with a debate about whether to show images from photographer Khaled Abdullah of an execution in Yemen. Was it legal in Yemen? Yes. Could we have intervened? No. Did it take place in a public place? Yes. Was it sensationalist? Not an easy question to answer. It clearly had news value and we believe the careful edit enabled us to show the event without sensationalising it. The moment of execution was photographed wide to show the whole scene, and the package of pictures included images of the child’s father, the gathered crowd of over 2,000 people and the prisoner being brought to his fate. Khaled described how he got access here.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth is reflected in a glass panel as female Jewish worshippers pray next to the Western Wall on Tisha B'Av, a day of fasting and lament, in Jerusalem's Old City August 1, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen    

The beautifully observed picture by Amir Cohen of a boy reflected in a glass panel as worshippers pray next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem caught my attention. Initially the viewer is confused – what’s going on? The reflections almost make it appear that men and women are mixing here, which is not allowed, the ghostly figure of the young man walking behind praying women. Amir needed to wait for quite a while before the different elements of the picture to came together to ensure the composition was right. The change from the cold colours on the left to the warm tones on the right adding to the strong composition and yes, maybe even a sense of confusion.

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Ordinga, the presidential candidate of the National Super Alliance (NASA) party, is surrounded by supporters from the Maasai community as he arrives on top of a car to an election rally in Suswa, Kenya, August 2, 2017.  REUTERS/Baz Ratner   

Campaigning for the Kenyan election is in full swing. Baz Ratner’s picture of opposition leader Raila Odinga arriving at a rally of Maasai supporters is full of tension. The raised hands with sticks in the foreground draw the eye to the tiny figure of Odinga being driven through the crowd. The sticks and arms of the cheering crowd take you deeper into the image as they appear to rain down on the white-clad leader. You can almost taste the atmosphere as a helicopter arcs away in the background, throwing up dust. 

Yazidis attend a commemoration to mark three years since Islamic State launched what the United Nations said was a genocidal campaign against them, in Sinjar region, Iraq, August 3, 2017.    REUTERS/Suhaib Salem 

It’s often images that happen on the sidelines of a planned event that make the strongest pictures. Suhaib Salem caught an unguarded moment among Yazidis gathered in Sinjar to mark the third anniversary of what the UN has called a genocidal campaign against them by IS. There is no doubting the sombre feeling; the soft tones and colour of the even light, the visual upward pressure of the women’s hands held to their mouths and the shapes in the door in the background.

A man prepares to cast his vote at a polling station in Kigali, Rwanda, August 4, 2017.   REUTERS/Jean Biziman

Not many will know that Rwanda has just had elections, with Paul Kagame sweeping back into power with a massive majority to secure a third term. Jean Bizimana’s image capturing the determination on this voter’s face, his polling card in hand, fills this picture with “can do, will do” passion. The man’s eyes are fixed on the ballot box, the focal point of the picture, in the centre of an empty room. The coloured cloth draped carefully around a wooden structure in the background reflects the national flag and the nation’s ideology; blue, for happiness and peace, yellow, economic development, and green, hope of prosperity.

A member of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government looks through a pair of binoculars during a patrol to prevent Islamic State resurgence on the outskirts of Sirte, Libya, August 4, 2017.   REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

 Clever compositional use of strong verticals and horizontals by Ismail Zitouny tricks us into thinking that the solder is standing on the tight rope of the distant horizon. But of course that makes no sense, so instead we get to experience the soldier’s view, an overwhelming sense of infinity, where desert meets sky. Our sense of isolation is only broken by the weathered sign to the right of the picture, leaving us to wonder what possible information could be written here in the deserts of Libya.

Supporters of Kenyan opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition party cheers during the final campaign rally at the Uhuru park grounds in Nairobi, Kenya August 5, 2017.            REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Sheer energy, a big smile and a slight tilt to the camera makes Thomas Mukoya’s picture one to catch the eye. Hundreds of people are seen cheering at the last opposition rally before polling day, their hands almost embracing the Kenyan national flag. It’s never easy to keep pictures sharp when tinsel and confetti are falling down as the auto focus goes into hyper-drive searching for one thing to focus on. There is no doubt where the focus is here, on that big smile. Read more on the election here.

Esperance Sportive players walk during play against Al Faisaly during the Arab Club Championship final in Cairo Egypt, August 6, 2017.   REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Esperance Sportive players celebrate with the trophy after beating Al Faisaly in the Arab Club Championship final in Cairo Egypt, August 6, 2017.   REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The final of the Arab Cup Championship in Egypt was a rollercoaster of emotion.  Esperance Sportive, who played Al Faisaly in a tense match that went into extra time, look almost choreographed in the first picture by Amr Abdallah Dalsh. The position of the players’ feet, the almost even spaces between the figures opening for a glimpse of Al Faisaly’s number 7 in the background, give the composition a dance-like feel, but the tension in their faces make the dance a grim affair. The second image is full of joy, celebration and relief as the trophy is lifted.