I Read, I Write - Laura Boushnak

“As an Arab female photographer, I have always found ample inspiration for my projects in personal experiences. The passion I developed for knowledge, which allowed me to break barriers towards a better life was the motivation for my project I Read I Write.

Pushed by my own experience, as I was not allowed initially to pursue my higher education, I decided to explore and document stories of other women who changed their lives through education, while exposing and questioning the barriers they face. I covered a range of topics that concern women’s education, keeping in mind the differences among Arab countries due to economic and social factors. These issues include female illiteracy, which is quite high in the region; difficulties or interruptions in access to school and/ or higher education, curricula devoid of real learning, low political awareness and activism, scarcity of jobs for highly- educated women, and wars and internal strife

I have always sought out a collaborative approach withthe women I photographed. I wanted them to actively participate in the experience, in a way that can be reflected in the final photograph. Their candid, hand-written words, complementing their images, were the perfect way to illustrate their involvement and to display their achievements.

Their own personal seal. “