Hisham Aljundi
Doha
Ramadan is such an auspicious occasion that it can bring out so much for the world to see when it comes to faith and its followers.
For professional photographer Nigel Downes, who has been in Doha for almost a decade and his London-based project manager Samantha Maeer, the holy month is an opportunity to discover a whole new delightful world as they went about discovering the holy month, its aspects and people.
They are seeking to show the world what Ramadan means to the people in Qatar through a photography project — 30 Holy Days.
"Being in this region for quite some time, we thought we should take this to the world. We thought we knew Ramadan but actually we didn’t know anything. We got to learn as we went along discovering several aspects of Ramadan,” revealed Downes as he, and Maeer, sat down with Qatar Tribune for a lengthy chat.
"We were going to do a mosque picture everyday. That would be the imagery I had thought because I sell mosque and minaret pictures but later it turned out to be something totally different. Actually, the Ramadan pictures tell a story of the difference between the US, London and Doha,” he added.
Maeer, who came down from London for the project, explained, "We initially had no particular idea and we were keen on doing mosques and people. But as we went along, we met our new friends at Qatar Foundation Centre of Islamic Studies, who suggested we contact Dominic Foley, the English Imam at the State Mosque.
"There, the journey started and then we discovered that we knew very little about Ramadan. So we asked people to recommend other people and the whole thing unfolded. The response has been phenomenal and we have been very lucky to have met some wonderful people.”
So what was the one moment which brought things to light for Downes and Maeer? "It was at the Souq Waqif!,” said Maeer. "We had some friends from Oman at Souq Waqif and luckily they happened to become our interpreters also as we went about and happened to discover a sweet maker and a prayer bead maker by chance. The delight on their faces despite the hard fasting and the festive touch to their effort gave us the idea and understanding,” she added.
Such has been the excitement that Maeer has extended her return ticket twice since then.
"There on, it’s been an onward journey,” gushed Downes.
Married to an American, Downes lived in the US for 20 years and has seen a good part of the world having spent several months working in Iraq, Lebanon and in Palestine camps. He has also taken up projects promoting peace in Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi. But it is the present one on Ramadan, he says, that excites him the most.
"From my point of view having lived here in Qatar a good decade and seen the region around I feel for some on the other side of the world, the understanding of this region is little. So I ensure that bring all aspects of how beautiful this world is to them.
"Among the many pictures that I have shot, my best is of the Doha sky against a mosque during a dust storm. I have always found the Doha sky to be the most attractive. The sky and mosques have given me my best prints. But now Ramadan and the worshippers have shown me a new facet of life,” said Downes hoping to complete his project well in time for Eid.
Doha
Ramadan is such an auspicious occasion that it can bring out so much for the world to see when it comes to faith and its followers.
For professional photographer Nigel Downes, who has been in Doha for almost a decade and his London-based project manager Samantha Maeer, the holy month is an opportunity to discover a whole new delightful world as they went about discovering the holy month, its aspects and people.
They are seeking to show the world what Ramadan means to the people in Qatar through a photography project — 30 Holy Days.
"Being in this region for quite some time, we thought we should take this to the world. We thought we knew Ramadan but actually we didn’t know anything. We got to learn as we went along discovering several aspects of Ramadan,” revealed Downes as he, and Maeer, sat down with Qatar Tribune for a lengthy chat.
"We were going to do a mosque picture everyday. That would be the imagery I had thought because I sell mosque and minaret pictures but later it turned out to be something totally different. Actually, the Ramadan pictures tell a story of the difference between the US, London and Doha,” he added.
Maeer, who came down from London for the project, explained, "We initially had no particular idea and we were keen on doing mosques and people. But as we went along, we met our new friends at Qatar Foundation Centre of Islamic Studies, who suggested we contact Dominic Foley, the English Imam at the State Mosque.
"There, the journey started and then we discovered that we knew very little about Ramadan. So we asked people to recommend other people and the whole thing unfolded. The response has been phenomenal and we have been very lucky to have met some wonderful people.”
So what was the one moment which brought things to light for Downes and Maeer? "It was at the Souq Waqif!,” said Maeer. "We had some friends from Oman at Souq Waqif and luckily they happened to become our interpreters also as we went about and happened to discover a sweet maker and a prayer bead maker by chance. The delight on their faces despite the hard fasting and the festive touch to their effort gave us the idea and understanding,” she added.
Such has been the excitement that Maeer has extended her return ticket twice since then.
"There on, it’s been an onward journey,” gushed Downes.
Married to an American, Downes lived in the US for 20 years and has seen a good part of the world having spent several months working in Iraq, Lebanon and in Palestine camps. He has also taken up projects promoting peace in Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi. But it is the present one on Ramadan, he says, that excites him the most.
"From my point of view having lived here in Qatar a good decade and seen the region around I feel for some on the other side of the world, the understanding of this region is little. So I ensure that bring all aspects of how beautiful this world is to them.
"Among the many pictures that I have shot, my best is of the Doha sky against a mosque during a dust storm. I have always found the Doha sky to be the most attractive. The sky and mosques have given me my best prints. But now Ramadan and the worshippers have shown me a new facet of life,” said Downes hoping to complete his project well in time for Eid.