Abdusatar
A Photograph by Abdurrauf Ben Madi
It is very likely a small room, if a note can be taken from how much is within the frame as a man puts on his coat. There's a rush of light from the un-curtained window, a brash counterpoint to the darkened furnishings—that is, if the deck of TV sets can be described as so. They also appear to indicate a time when he had ample lodgings. Or not. It could be that the small luxury of double screens reminds him of a less cloistered world. Also, is that a hint of a second bed? Are we taking a measure of more than a single life?
— Emmanuel Iduma
“My approach to photography is to focus on people who live in the shadow of life.”
This photograph was taken in Tunis, Tunisia, as part of a story about unseen or invisible people who don't get enough or good credit and recognition of their existence from the community—as doctors, engineers or movie stars or other celebrities—even though their jobs are important to the community.
Abdusatar is a construction worker I spent a day with trying to document his life at work, home and with his friends, in order to focus on the human side of his daily life.
I see the long jacket which hides the face of Abdusatar as a metaphor for how the community ignores him and other people doing a great job for the community but who the community doesn’t give to in return.
My approach to photography is to focus on people who live in the shadow of life and to document the daily life in my country.
— Abdurrauf Ben Madi
About Abdurrauf Ben Madi
Abdurrauf Ben Madi is freelance photographer born in Tripoli, Libya in 1976. He graduated from college of Arts and Media University of Tripoli. He is co-founder of Everyday Libya, and contributes to Everyday Middle East, and Everyday Africa. Find out more: Instagram / Website.
Last Week — “Ali” by Mohamed Mahdy
Ali built the house with his wife as most of the fishermen did. The image reminds me of that feeling of waiting in your house for someone you don't know to take you out of the house and change your life forever.
SUPPORT TENDER PHOTO
This is the 76th edition of this publication, which also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.
Every Wednesday I feature one photograph and the photographer who took it: you’d read a short caption from me, and a statement from the photographer. Every Saturday, between June 3–July 29, I’m writing a series of micro-essays in response to sequences of photographs previously featured on the newsletter. My hope is to engage with early to mid-career African photographers, and to create a platform in which photographers lead the cataloguing and criticism of their work.
Photographers can now submit their work for consideration.
Thank you for reading. If this newsletter was shared with you, consider subscribing, or forward to a friend. Please whitelist the newsletter to ensure you never miss it.