David Degner » Egypt Photographer

Centralized call to prayer in Cairo, Egypt

David — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:02:33 +0000

Sheikh Antar gives the call to prayer, also known as the adhan or azzan at a mosque in Khan El-Khalili Cairo on the last day before Ramadan. According to official statements adzan’s like this throughout Cairo will be replaced by a pre-recorded call to prayer from a central broadcasting system. The first conversion is scheduled to occur in the neighborhood of Heliopolis during Ramadan.

Adhan is called out by the muezzin in the mosque, sometimes from a minaret, five times a day summoning Muslims for mandatory prayers.

For the next two weeks I’ll be working with On Look Films as the videographer as we document these unique calls to prayer around Cairo. It is a documentary about a 1,400 year old tradition that is about to be erased forever from the audioscape of Cairo.

Family planning and birth rates in Egypt and the Middle East

David — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:20:00 +0000

I don’t know what the article is yet, but I thought this photo would by ideal for illustrating a story on family planning and birth rates in Egypt or the Middle East.

Photo on the Front of Al-Masry Al-Youm

David — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:44:35 +0000

Because I send most of my photos to papers in the US and Europe I never get to see them in print. When the image of Gamal Mubarak’s poster popped up on Al-Masry Al-Youm’s front page I got a good tingle in the back of my head.

Yes, I’m a bit proud that they used my image because Al-Masry Al-Youm is on of the few papers worth reading in Egypt.

Night Politics of Egypt

David — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:24:51 +0000

Egypt is a country that comes alive after the sun sets and heat dissipates. So, much of the political action happens at night and drags on till the sun rises.

These are a set of images from two such long nights of political wrangling this week during the latest dust-up over Gamal Mubarak supporter’s posters in Cairo.

While newspapers gloss over the complex back-stabbing within the opposition parties proponents of a vibrant democracy have only these very flawed humans to put their hope in.

Some of the images are from Ayman Nour’s Al-Ghad Party and it’s internal wrangling for legitimacy against a splinter group. They will be holding elections for party president along side the splinter group on August 6th.

The other photos are from a political rally held at a Muslim Brotherhood center in Fayum.

The rally in Fayum, Egypt was against the Gamal and Hosni Mubarak in Egypts upcoming presidential election. The rally was attended by a wide array of representatives from political parties, including Al-Ghad, Kyfaya, The Muslim Brotherhood, Karama, and the Egyptian Socialist Party. At this meeting the Al-Ghad party premiered their new posters with a slogan “Gamal, Egypt is too big for you.”

Ayman Nour, reacting to Gamal Mubarak’s supporters campaign

David — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:45:12 +0000

Last night was a long night of following the Ayman Nour campaign.

In an attempt to regain legitimacy and momentum Al-Ghad party held a vote for party president and chose incumbent Ayman Nour. To show his popular support he walked through the neighborhood he used to represent in parliment from Bab Al-Sharayah to Ramsees.

The images start with a meeting where Gamal Mubarak’s poster was passed around, out to the street near Talaat Harb, to Bab Al-Bahr and Ramsis Square. The final image was at some early hour of the morning as Nour’s Campaign staffers joke and strategize.

These movements come after a long term battle with a splinter group of Al-Ghad and well-publicized campaigning from Gamal Mubarak’s supporters in the past few days.

In an attempt to regain legitimacy Al-Ghad party held a vote for president of the party and the founder Ayman Nour was chosen. To show his popular support he walked through the neighborhoods he used to represent in parliment from Bab Al-Sharayah to Ramsees.

These movements come after a long term battle with a splinter group of Al-Ghad and well-publicized campaigning from Gamal Mubarak’s supporters in the past few days.

For a larger set of images go to the photo archive.