RAWIYA: We Do Not Choose Our Dictators

“We Do Not Choose Our Dictators,” a selection of photographic works by RAWIYA a collective focused on human rights and social justice. Translated from Arabic as “she/he who tells a story,” RAWIYA originally was formed in 2009 as an all-female photography collective. The exhibition will be at the Fort Worth Contemporary Arts gallery March 4 to May 13, with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 4. The reception will include brief comments by artists Tanya Habjouqa and Tasneem Alsultan.

As a group of documentary photographers from across the Middle East, the members use the platform of the collective to investigate social and political stories they feel are invisible. RAWIYA's presentation includes work by Myriam Abdelaziz, Tamara Abdul Hadi, Tasneem Alsultan, Laura Boushnak, Tanya Habjouqa and new collective member Zied Ben Romdhane.

This is RAWIYA's first exhibition in Texas, and the timing is significant. Since 2010, popular uprisings, protests and strikes throughout the Middle East have prompted a major geopolitical shift that has affected peace and stability in the region. The photographers are experienced witnesses and well-informed narrators of resistance and social change in this environment.

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