Taking shots: preserving the pivotal moments of protests

Photojournalists remain crucial to our understanding of world events, providing us with front-row views that would otherwise be inaccessible. Of the most universally recognisable images in photography, many are photographs of protests.

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Mostafa Darwish, an award-winning visual journalist from Egypt, has spent nearly a decade working on stories around situations of protest, clashes and conflict, not just in his native country, but across the Middle East, Sudan and Turkey.

Maurice Oniang'o, a dynamic filmmaker and photojournalist from Kenya, hasn't been short of international attention for his work covering issues such as FGM and climate change. His more recent work includes a documentary on police brutality, funded by National Geographic.

Together, Mostafa and Maurice, both alumni of the foundation, discuss the challenges of capturing dynamic images of social movements.

Mostafa Darwish, Egypt When tens of thousands of Egyptians filled Cairo's Tahrir Square in 2013, before and after president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by a military coup, Mostafa was on the scene using his lens to document the stories unfolding on the front lines.

His powerful photographs, showing rival groups of demonstrators, were published widely in international media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Associated Press and The Guardian.

In one image, Mostafa focuses attention on a demonstrator using tear gas to separate him from the protestors behind. In another, he captures the magnitude of the participation in Tahrir Square, with a protester at the centre of the scene gesturing defiantly towards the oncoming crowds.

Asked what he wants people to take away from these images, Mostafa says that the photographs are simply a depiction of a moment in time.

Documenting a protest with photos and video can be an important part of telling the story of what happened and when, he says. You are in this moment not just a photographer, you are a historian.

While protests can be peaceful, they can quickly turn violent. They are unpredictable, and they can transform from peaceful to dangerous in seconds, continues Mostafa. There is a long history of photojournalists putting themselves at risk in order to document these events.

Mostafa has not just been in the line of fire during protests and civil unrest in Egypt, but often a target. I was attacked by Egyptian security forces in 2013 when they raided a camp of protesters at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, he says.

A year earlier, Mostafa had sustained a head injury during a protest over the slow pace of change in Egypt.

After I was injured in 2012, I started to wear a helmet, he says. In Rabaa, I knew there was a serious risk of being shot and I was more prepared for the unpredictable, wearing full protective gear, including goggles and a bullet-proof vest.

I was mainly centred in a safe spot, only relocating now and then. Despite this, and the police initially being forthcoming with the press, things became dramatically more dangerous. I was attacked. I had my camera taken away. Random beatings, including of colleagues, happened right in front of me.

Here, Mostafa revisits his work and explains the practical and ethical tensions at the heart of photographing violent protests.

A low-flying military helicopter was circling demonstrators in Tahrir Square, Cairo in July 2013, signalling that the military, who had ousted Morsi, had begun to take centre stage in a new phase of political life. This was one of the few moments of peaceful protesting. Shortly afterwards, the tear gas canisters ignited behind me and clashes between police and protestors increased.

Egyptian riot policeman were firing teargas to move back protesters in Tahrir Square. Journalists werent immune. Myself and colleagues were met with the same aggressive policing as the demonstrators. Seven years on, and we're seeing more images of police brutality around the world and of security forces repressing crowds and attacking journalists.

This was the aftermath near the Rabaa Adawiya mosque in Cairo on 14th August 2013, when Egyptian security forces cleared a sit-in of hundreds of supporters of Morsi. It was to become one of the deadliest days for demonstrations in Egypt. It's a haunting image that came shortly after Eid al Fitr, when many Egyptians had spent time with family. Among the billowing smoke is a banner left over from the celebrations reading simply Happy Eid' in Arabic.

Action versus safety Photojournalists who want to document any social issue, be it a riot, a clash or a protest, must always look to find a balance between being safe and staying close to the action.

Try your best to understand the area of the events, the main streets or the side ones and the safest places to run or hide in case something happens, explains Mostafa.

It's also important not to show any partiality with any parts of the protest, the protestors or the police, and to be close to people you know, in case you are injured or you need someone to help keep your equipment safe.

Ideally, try not to use expensive gear. We know how important telephoto lenses are for events such as these, but really try to use cheap gear or stick with your smartphone. And whether it's daytime or nighttime, don't use your flash.

Once your pictures are published, either by local media outlets or on social media, take screenshots and keep them in a safe drive. Some websites archive their news and governments can sometimes play a big role in removing certain material. Never delete the raw material of your coverage.

Maurice Oniang'o, Kenya Maurice was injured covering the annual nationwide Saba Saba demonstrations in July 2020, which calls for both an end to corruption and more investment in public services.

The 2020 event was given extra im

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