DEVINE HERITAGE

(ONGOING)

It takes courage to choose a life without a man by one’s side, especially in a patriarchal society where marriage provides protection and financial security. In rural Egypt, the image of divorced, widowed, or unmarried women is still associated with shame and social exclusion. Inspired by the symbolism of powerful women in ancient Egypt, our search for courageous single women began in the Valley of the Queens near Luxor. We set out on a journey to tell the story of the courage and experiences of single women in southern Egypt.

Women report that they no longer believe in the idea of true love. Women who pretend to be men to experience acceptance and protection. Women who have resigned themselves to being alone for the rest of their lives. Women who succumb to the pain of unrequited love or close their hearts to survive. The portrait series „Divine Heritage“ symbolizes the collective dream of affection, love, and courage from Western and Muslim perspectives and recounts experiences that exist in a tension between self-determination and longing.

The project is ongoing and was developed in collaboration with Barbara Haas and Hager Elhakim. The project was part of „Der Neue BFF Förderpreis 2022“ and was honored with the 2nd prize of the „Otto Steinert Preis 2022“.

  • SISA - The Tiger
    "It's better to die than to remarry when you have a daughter." When Sisa lost her husband 50 years ago, she became a man. To raise her daughter alone, she started wearing Jellabiya and earning her income.
  • HUDA - The Path to God
    Most Muslim women dream of traveling to Mecca. Faith in Allah gives them strength and patience to continue and not to give up. However, not all of them have the financial capacity to fulfill their dream.
  • MONA - The Wish
    "I'm relieved not to be married. I would suffer if I were." Mona is unmarried and has worked in many men's jobs. She was the first woman in her town to climb date palms to support her family.
  • OM KALSOUM - The Gentle Face
    Om Kalsoum is the name of a woman in Aswan who has declared the fragile joy of marriage to be her destiny and both performs Islamic marriages and divorces. As a sign of their happiness, the young married couple decorates the apartment with ceramics.
  • BAKITAH - The Happy One
    "Even though there are many problems in the village, it is a place of peace for me." Bakitha's husband passed away in an accident, leaving her behind as a widow. Since then, she has lived in solitude in the remote women's village of El-Samaha in southern Egypt, trying to escape the pressures of society.
  • HATHOR - The Goddess of Love
    Hathor is the goddess of love. She symbolizes protection and motherhood and is represented with cow horns and a sun disk.
  • BASRIA - A Town by Iraq
    "It's not in my nature to be weak." Basria spent only three years in Egypt with her husband before he left to work in South Africa and eventually died of a heart attack. She loved him deeply and did not want to get married again
  • ISIS - The Goddess of Magic and Motherhood
    Aswan is home to the temple ruins of Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis. Isis was regarded as the protector of women and a goddess of magic and motherhood during ancient Egypt.
  • SAIDA - The Lady
    "Every woman has her secrets." Saida is raising her two daughters alone after a divorced marriage. She wishes they might find trustworthy husbands one day, but personal exchanges about marriage, love, and sex are limited and often marked by shame.
  • HALA - The Moonlight
    In Egypt, weddings hold a high social status. For family and friends, it is a very special day when the bond for life is made. But not all women decide to marry and some remain involuntarily single.
  • HAGER - The Traveler
    "I work like a man. I live like a man. I am a man." Hager is independent and confident. But she has been longing for companionship in life since her parents died. She wishes to get married, quit working, and find more time for her friends.